Puyo Puyo: Frozen Hearts
by TheBlackKid
Summary: "I've decided. There's no going back now. I want to tell him how I feel. I want him to know that I love him. But...I'm also too scared to do so. And Christmas is only a few days away. My friends are helping me gain enough courage...But can I really go through with this?"
1. Part 1

**Puyo Puyo: Frozen Hearts**

 **By TheBlackKid**

 **Chapter 1 – Primp Party Planning**

Hello-! The name's Amitie! I'm a student of the Primp Magic School in the peaceful Primp Town! My dream is to become a wonderful magician. I'm not that great at studying, and maybe a bit clumsy, but I'm always the cheerful one. Nice to meet you!

And, uh…I'm actually glad you're here. I could really use someone to talk to right about now. I-It's not bad or anything. I-In fact, it's a really good thing. F-For me, that is.

Y-You see, Christmas is coming up soon. About a week from now. And, well…th-there's something I want to do on that day. Something really big. So big, in fact, that I might even call it the most mature thing I've ever done.

But I'm too nervous to do it. Whenever I think about doing it, I get all jittery inside. And my face becomes just as red as my friend Ringo's hair. It's such a huge and mature step for someone like me.

But I really want to do this! I need to do this! I need to release this deep feeling from my soul! I've been holding it in for so long and now it's **DYING** to come out! I refuse to ignore it much longer! It must be freed!

…

S-So…you're probably wondering what it is that I want to do on Christmas, are you? Well…since you came and listened to my problem, I guess it's only fair that I tell you.

S-So…h-here goes…

…

Y-You see…I-I…w-well, I…

…

 _Aw, geez. This is harder than I thought._

I…

I…

I…

…

… **I-I WANT TO CONFESS MY LOVE TO SIG!**

 _ ***pant***_

 _ ***pant***_

 _ ***pant***_

 _ ***whine***_ That was so hard. And if I can't tell it to you guys, then how am I going to tell Sig? Maybe this was a bad idea.

" _Amitie…Amitie…_ "

"H-Huh?! Wh-What?!"

"Amitie. Were you listening?" Ms. Accord asked me.

"Huh? Well…I…uh…well…n-no. I-I wasn't. S-Sorry, Ms. Accord."

"Amitie…"

"Why so shocked, Ms. Accord? She does this all the time. The only difference is that she's isn't sleep talking this time." Klug said.

"I-I…well…uh…" It's true. That does happen a lot.

"Klug. Please don't pick on Amitie." Ms. Accord said.

"I'm not picking on her. I'm just making a point."

"One that no one really cares about." Raffina said.

"Well of course, _**you**_ would say that. ***snicker*** "

"And what's **THAT** supposed to mean, huh?!" Raffina got angry (as usual) as she stood up from her desk over Klug.

"Oh, I think you know. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if you don't. With that monkey brain of yours. _ **Kyahahahaha!**_ "

" _ **Grr…**_ **Why you little…** "

The two then started to yell at each other while using obscenities to insult each other.

"Aw, geez…" Ms. Accord said with a facepalm.

"There they go again, meow." Popoi added.

While that was going on, I took out my phone and looked at the date it read.

 _December 17_ _th_ _. Christmas is next Tuesday. Which means I only have a week to do this. But how does one do such a thing as this? Confess their love for someone? To one of their best friends, even?_ _ ***whine***_ _All of this is really really hard!_

"Amitie…"

"H-Huh?!"

"You were spacing out again." Ms. Accord said.

"O-Oh. S-Sorry."

"You've been doing that a lot recently. As in more than usual. Is something upsetting you?"

"Uh…n-no. I'm fine. J-Just a bit sleepy, that's all."

Ms. Accord stared at me for a second. I wasn't sure if she believed me or not (most likely, she didn't), but that look of hers was only making me uncomfortable.

"Okay. If you say so, Amitie." She finally said.

 _ ***phew***_ _Thank goodness._

"So. Back to our discussion. Who will be doing what for the party?"

Oh, yeah. I forgot. The school's having a Christmas party next week and we were in the middle of planning for it. I'm not even sure what to do for it. Maybe a gift for everyone. If I can afford it, I mean.

"First up, the food. Who would provide for that?"

After a short while of no responses, Lidelle slowly raised her hand with her shyness being shown right through her.

"Lidelle? You want to do it?"

"Y-Yes, teacher. I-I think I can do it." Lidelle stuttered.

" ***giggle*** I know you can. After all, that cake you made for Halloween was delicious."

"W-Well, I…"

"Wait, **YOU** made that, Lidelle?" Klug asked in shock.

"Y-Yeah. I-I did. S-Sorry if you didn't like it. I p-probably didn't do it right."

"Lidelle. I'm asking because that cake was delicious. One of the best I've ever had."

"For once, I have to agree with Klug." Raffina chimed in. "That cake was so good, I thought my personal chef made it. But now knowing that it was you, it puts him at a closer point of getting fired."

"Th-Thank you, Raffina. I-I guess." Lidelle said. Not knowing what else to say to that.

"Okay, then. Next is the location. Anyone got any ideas?" Ms. Accord asked.

"Well, I suppose I'll be the host of it yet again. Think of it as an early Christmas present. _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ "

"Woohoo." Klug said in a sarcastic tone.

"You don't have to come, you know. In fact, it would be great if you didn't show up at all."

"I want to go, just not at that snobby mansion of yours. Ms. Accord, don't we have any other options?"

"I'm afraid not, Klug." Ms. Accord answered. "Raffina's house is the only place big enough to fit us and the other guest."

"Plus, there's a heater, meow." Popoi added.

"Popoi, please don't use up the heat again like you did last year." Raffina said.

"Can't we at least take a vote on it?" Klug asked.

" **Grr…** Fine, you little whiner. Who here wants to have the party at my house?"

"I'm okay with it, meow."

"M-Me too." Lidelle added.

"I…don't really have a problem with it." I said.

"And what about you, Sig?" Raffina asked.

We all looked over at Sig…who was fast asleep with his head over the back of the chair.

" _Sig…_ "

" _Zzz…_ "

" _ **Sig…**_ "

" _Zzz…_ "

" **SIG!** "

"H-Huh? What? What are we doing?" Sig asked as he jumped up a little and looked around the classroom.

"We're planning the Christmas party and deciding on whether or not to have it at Raffina's house." I said.

"Oh."

…

…

"Will there be…"

"No, Sig. There won't be any bugs." Raffina said sternly.

"Oh."

…

…

"Can I…"

"No. You can't bring your own."

"Oh." Sig sounded sad that time.

"Look, do you agree or not?" Raffina was starting to lose patience.

"I guess. If Ami's okay with it."

 ***meep***

"I-I…w-well…o-of course I'm okay with it, silly. I get to spend Christmas with my friends. Wh-Why wouldn't I be okay with it?"

I then looked away from Sig (and everyone else) and stared at my desk. Knowing that my cheeks were bright red at this point.

" _Y-Yeah…th-that's it._ " I said weakly.

…

"O…kay then. You lose, Klug! So either suck it up or don't show up at all! _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ " Raffina gloated at him.

" _ ***sigh***_ Whatever."

"Anyway…" Ms. Accord took the lead of the conversation again. "The last thing is the decorations. Who will take charge of that?"

"Amitie will do it." Raffina said.

"Eh?! Wh-Why me?!" I asked.

"We all have to take a part, Amitie." Ms. Accord said.

"I thought you, of all people, would now that." Klug added.

"Y-Yeah…b-but…I-I'm kinda busy this week. I-I don't think I can do all the decorations in time."

"Ammy. Do you think you can get Arle and Ringo to help you?" Lidelle suggested.

"W-Well…"

Normally, that would sound like a good idea. But, in this case…not so much. Arle and Ringo know about my feelings for Sig. And said that they'll help me become brave enough to confess to him on Christmas.

With what, I have no idea.

But I can't really tell everyone here what I'm doing. So now, I really don't have a choice but to take the job.

"…O-Okay. I-I'll do it." I gave in.

"And if you really need any more help, meow, you could ask Si-" Popoi was going to suggest that Sig could help me, but then we all looked at Sig again. And saw that he had fallen back asleep in the same position he was last time.

"Never mind, meow."

To be honest, I'm glad Sig won't help me. Him being around while we make these decorations, with his cute, unamused face looking at me from time to time…I'd definitely won't make it through.

 ***SCHOOL BELL RINGS*  
**

"Oh my. Class is over already. Does everyone understand their part of the job?" Ms. Accord asked.

"Yes, Ms. Accord." Four of us replied.

" _Zzz…_ "

"Someone please wake Sig up, meow." Popoi said.

"I-I'll do it." I said.

"Thank you, Amitie. Now goodbye for now, kiddies. Have a safe break and see you at the party."

As everyone started packing up their stuff, I went over to Sig's desk and tried to wake him up.

And when I say "try", I really did try.

I struggled to move my body because I kept staring at Sig's sleeping face. I felt myself blushing deeply and sweating extensively. I also felt my heart beating really really fast and my body shaking with nerves. At this point, I was deeply lost inside that sleeping face of my best friend and crush.

 _ ***whine***_ _He's so cute! Why does he have to be so cute?!_

I then tried once more to wake him up. I reached out my arm towards his right shoulder at a really slow pace. Inching closer by only a few centimeters. I was…almost nearly halfway there…when…

" **SIG!** "

" **GAH!** " I shouted from total shock.

"H-Huh? Wh-What?" Sig asked with a look of dazed and confusion.

"Your sister's outside waiting for you. Hurry up." Raffina said.

"Oh. Okay."

Sig got up from his desk and grabbed his bag as he started heading for the door leading to the hallway.

"See ya, Ammy. See ya, uh…Wuffina."

" **It's Raffina!** " Raffina yelled.

Sig then waved at both of us before he went to meet up with his sister.

" _ ***sigh***_ Geez. When is he going to get my name right?" Raffina said to herself.

" _ ***whine***_ _Raffina! Why'd you had to do that?!_ " I complained.

"Hey, don't look at me. You were taking too long and I want to go home."

" _ **whine***_ _And I was so close, too._ "

"No, you weren't."

" _Well, to me, it was!_ "

" _ ***sigh***_ Seriously, Amitie. Just tell him already."

"I really want to, Raffina. But…but I'm so nervous. What if something bad happens?"

By the way, Raffina also knows about my crush on Sig. And I didn't necessarily tell her "in a normal way", if that makes any sense. What I'm trying to say is…it was emotionally brutal.

For me, that is.

"Well, this is Sig we're talking about. At worse, he'll just say something like "I don't get it" and you'll have to explain it to him." Raffina said.

"Y-Yeah. Th-That does sound like something Sig would say."

 _As much as I don't like to accept it._

"Well, anyway…I'm going home now. You'll have those decorations done before the party, right?"

"Uh…y-yeah. S-Sure. I'll get right on it."

"Alright, then. See ya at the party." Raffina said as she started leaving the classroom and heading home.

"Okay. See ya."

…

 _ ***sigh***_

"And so the countdown begins." I said to myself as I was packing my stuff. As I was putting on my coat, my phone had started ringing and I answered it after it scared me a little.

 _Great. Raffina shouting in my ear still has me on edge._

"Hello?"

" _Hey, Ammy! Finally, you pick up the phone!_ "

"Mom. I was in class. I couldn't answer the phone even if I wanted to."

" _Wait, what do you mean "even if you wanted to"?_ " Mom sounded insulted.

"I-It's nothing. Do you need something, Mom?"

" _Oh, yeah. Just wanna tell ya that I'm going to be home late tonight._ "

"Again?"

" _Sorry, Ammy. Akuma's working me to the ground with this book. He seriously needs to relax._ "

" _If you're going to talk about me, then can you not do it when I'm standing next to you,_ _ **KUMA!**_ " I heard Akuma's voice in the background.

" _Aw, crap._ "

" ***giggle*** Sounds like you're in trouble, Mom. I'll see you later tonight then."

" _ ***sigh***_ _Fine._ "

"Merry Christmas, Akuma."

" _Merry Christmas to you too, Amitie._ _ **MA, KUMA, KUMAAAA!**_ "

I hung up the phone and placed it in my pocket. Then I looked around the classroom to see that I was the only one left.

" _ ***sigh***_ Well, I better go meet up with Arle and Ringo. Hopefully, at least one of their ideas work and I'm able to confess my love for Sig on Christmas."

I then grabbed my backpack and started heading out of the classroom, into the hallway, and eventually out of the school building. Into the snowy streets of Primp Town.

* * *

 **Chapter 2 – Decorating Your Feelings**

It had recently started snowing here in Primp. It's my favorite kind of weather. How it covers up the buildings and streets like a giant white blanket, the multiple snowflakes that often land on your nose and tongue…

…And the best part, no school! Which leaves more time to play!

But…I can't really play right now. Not with my thoughts confessing to Sig and making decorations for the party swarming around my mind.

 _And it's really starting to hurt._

Speaking of which, I should hurry up and meet with Arle and Ringo right now. They're probably waiting for me.

That is…if they're not busy with "something else".

You'll see what I mean.

I started heading towards our usual meeting spot for days like today: the park. We come here every day to play with each other. Whether it be on the playground, playing tag, a game or two of Puyo, or in this case, the snow.

I entered the park and after a minute or two of looking, I found Arle and Ringo sitting on a bench. I was about to walk up to them and say hi…

…But then I saw what they were doing. And got slightly annoyed.

" _ ***sigh***_ Here we go." I said under my breath.

"Isn't the snow today pretty, Ringo?" Arle asked.

"Yeah. It really is pretty. And the sparkles in the ground make it even prettier." Ringo said.

"Aren't they just snowflakes?"

"Yeah, but every snowflake is different. Making the sparkles more original and pretty."

"I see…"

"But of course…they're not as pretty as you, Arle."

" _ ***cutely moan***_ _Ringo!_ " Arle grabbed onto Ringo and held her into a hug.

" ***giggle*** Someone's been clingy recently." Ringo said.

"I can't help it. This is the first time I get to spend Christmas with my girlfriend, after all."

"Yeah, that's true. I feel the same way and I don't regret it, either."

" _Ringo…_ "

" _Arle…_ "

They both started to bring their faces together for a kiss on each other's lips. After about 10 seconds of watching them kiss, I started losing interest. So I went and got their attention…

"Hey. Arle. Ringo."

" **GAH!** "

…and it apparently scared them both.

" **A-Amitie?! H-How long were you standing there?!** " Ringo asked.

"The entire time."

" **Th-The entire time?!** " Ringo started blushing out of embarrassment.

" **G-Geez, Amitie! A-A heads up would've been nice!** " Arle whined while blushing as much as Ringo.

"Sorry. I just didn't think I would come here to find you guys "having a moment" as some might call it."

" _Hey…_ " They both sounded insulted.

Yeah, it's true. Arle and Ringo are dating. And it's kinda my fault that this happened. You see, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas decorations were already being put up around town. And at some point, we noticed that Arle and Ringo were standing under a mistletoe. I kept teasing them that now they had to kiss, and they eventually did.

Then they both started acting weird around each other about three weeks after that. Turns out, they had gained feelings for each other. And it wasn't until about two days ago when they confessed their love. And told me the same day.

In the end, I blame myself for teasing them in the first place. But I'm also really happy that I was able to bring two lonely hearts together and form a bound of unbreakable love.

Hopefully, they can do the same thing for me.

"Anyway, I need you guy's help with something." I said.

"Don't worry. We know, Amitie." Ringo said. "We've been coming up with ideas to help you confess your love for Sig."

"Just because we're a couple, doesn't mean we forgot about you." Arle added. "Right, Carby?"

Carbuncle then popped out of Arle's coat hood and sat on her lap.

"Gu!" He said.

I don't really understand what Carbuncle says most of the time, but Arle does. Probably because they've been with each other for so long.

"Thanks, guys. But it's actually something else."

"Something else?" They both asked.

"My school is throwing a Christmas party next week and I'm in charge of making decorations. At first, I tried to get out of it. Since I was busy with my love problem. But now, I'm stuck with it. So I need your help."

"I see. This is quite the predicament." Ringo said with her finger on her chin.

"A what?"

"It means that we have a problem, Amitie."

"R-Right. O-Of course. I-I knew that." I said while rubbing the back of my head.

" _Really?_ "

"Yes, really!"

"Well, we can still do both. We'll just have to manage our time on each." Arle said.

"Yeah, I guess."

"So which should we do first?"

"Let's get some on the decorations done first. We can go to the store and then go to my house afterward."

"Fine by me. Ready, Love?" Arle turned to Ringo and asked.

" ***giggle*** Ready when you are, Cutie."

Both got up from the bench and gave each other a quick kiss on the lips before walking with me to the store.

"Guys, really?" I asked. Questioning if what they just said and did was necessary at that point in time.

"Oh, come on, Amitie. Think about it. By this time next week, this could be you and Sig." Ringo said.

" **M-M-Me?! A-A-And Sig?!** " The thought of having that happen made me blush extremely hard.

" ***giggle*** I think she likes the idea, Ringo." Arle teased.

" ***giggle*** Yeah, clearly." Ringo teased with her.

"M-M-M…Meanies." Was all I could say at this point.

* * *

We got to the store a short time later and went straight to the party supply aisle to pick out what exactly what we need. Ms. Accord wasn't exactly clear on what the decorations should look like. So, I'm just going to assume that they have to be Christmas-themed.

"So what should we get? The usual snowflakes and Christmas trees and stuff?" Ringo asked.

"Yeah, I suppose. I don't think there's a guideline for these." I said.

"Well, that's good. I'm not that great when it comes to neatly decorating stuff." Arle said.

"Aw come on, Arle. There are other tomboys out there who are good at art and stuff." Ringo said.

" _But I'm not a tomboy._ " Arle sounded insulted.

"You kinda are." We both replied.

Arle hates being called a tomboy, even though she has every characteristic of one. She doesn't like or care for manners, she doesn't wear cute clothes and such, and she likes to get dirty. Like **REAL** dirty. As in going into deep dark caves and coming out a complete mess. It's weird how she keeps denying the fact that she is a tomboy. The fact that she keeps calling Schezo a pervert is kinda hypocritical.

Even though he kinda is one.

"Can't you two just drop the tomboy thing already?" Arle asked.

"We will once you admit to it." I answered.

"But there's nothing to admit. Right, Carby?"

" _Guuu…_ " Carbuncle said.

"Carby? Don't tell me you think that, too!"

…

…

Carbuncle then went back into Arle's coat hood and didn't say anything else.

" _ **Aw, come on!**_ " Arle whined.

"It's okay, Arle. I still love you and your tomboy-ish personality." Ringo said while giving her a hug.

"B-But I'm not… _ ***sigh***_ ah, forget it." Arle finally gave up.

After deciding on what decorations and supplies to get, I had told Arle and Ringo that Mom was going to be home late and that I had to get my own dinner. They offered to spend the night and help me cook something up. So now we were picking out stuff to cook tonight. We decided on chicken and noodles and had already gotten the meat. So we were heading to the pasta aisle to get the noodles.

That's when we ran into a little commotion.

" **What?! What do you mean you don't have any?!** "

"I mean what I just said three times already. We. Don't. Have. Any. Go and see if that crazy store you go to has it. Cause we sell normal things here." The store employee then walked off from the girl to get back to work.

" _ ***sigh***_ Now what am I going to do?"

"Hey, Misuki." I said, getting the girl's attention.

"Hey, Ammy! Didn't think I'd run into you here." We both gave a quick hug as we haven't really seen each other in a while.

"You know…I still find it unfair that you let Amitie give you a nickname, but not me." Arle said.

"Just let it go, Arle." Ringo said to her.

Misuki is what I call Witch, a witch who came from Arle's world who's practicing to become the greatest potion-maker ever. She's just like me, with my dream being to becoming a wonderful magician. So far, though…neither one of us are having much luck. But we became best friends because of that reason. Kind of a depressing reason to become friends, but it works out for both of us.

"So what were you yelling about just now?" I asked.

"I'm making a special holiday potion to sell at my shop and I'm missing one last ingredient. I was hoping this place would have it. But apparently, they don't."

"What's the potion?" Ringo asked.

"Well, it's based on one of those Christmas you hear a lot. What was it again? 12 Days of Christmas, or something like that? Anyway, the one I'm missing is a set of 5 gold rings. And no one here sells it! Can you believe that?!"

"Yes." We all answered with no hesitation.

"What?!"

"Witch. There is no way in hell you're going to find 5 gold rings anywhere in this town." Arle said.

"Or in this world, to be precise. They just don't exist." Ringo added.

"Sorry, Misuki." I said.

" _ ***sigh***_ Great. Now I wasted my time making that potion." Misuki pouted.

"Wait, you already made it?"

"Yeah, but it's useless now. I'll probably make it into a sports drink or something and sell it like that."

"Please don't." The three of us said.

" _Hey…_ " Misuki got insulted.

 _ ***Dearest customers. The store will be closing in 30 minutes. Please hurry and make your final selections.***_

"Huh? They're closing already?"

"It is the holidays, Misuki. Everyone's closing early to spend time with their families." I said.

"Oh, yeah. That." Misuki sound depressed. And I know why. She had a grandmother that died long ago back in her world and she came here after saying goodbye to her grave. She doesn't really have any other family to go to for the holidays. Hence the fact that she's been getting close to Mom and me.

"You know, Misuki. You can always spend the holidays with us. You're always welcome at our house."

"Really? You and Melody won't mind?"

"Mom won't care. She'll probably just use her days off to sleep."

"Oh, yeah." Misuki, Arle, and Ringo said with a sweatdrop.

"Well, I'll you up on that offer, Ammy. Thank you so much!" Misuki cheered.

"Now of course. You've gotta help me out with something."

"What, you mean with your crush on that Sig boy?"

" **D-Don't say it out loud like that!** " I shouted with a faint blush on my cheeks. "A-And it's not just that. I have to make decorations for the party my school's throwing on Christmas."

"Oh. I see. Sure, I'll help you, Ammy."

"Great. The more help the better."

"Yeah. Especially with Arle's tomboy-ish mindset." Ringo added.

" _I swear, I am going to punch you._ " Arle sounded annoyed.

"Sorry. I just had to get one more in."

" _ ***whine***_ You're mean, Ringo."

"Okay. I'm sorry." Ringo said as she wrapped herself around Arle in a tight enclosed hug.

"Oh, I can't stay mad at you, Ringo." Arle said before kissing her on the lips.

Misuki and I just stood there and watched the whole thing.

"So those two are dating, huh?" Misuki asked.

"Yeah, they are. And I'm kinda the reason, too."

"Interesting."

We then continue to stare at the couple as they were still hugging each other. Lost in their own little world.

 _W-Wow. Th-That…c-could be me…a-and Sig? Now I really want to confess. I just hope…_

… _I can get the courage to do it in time._

* * *

 **Chapter 3 – A Practice Confession**

Before heading for my house, we stopped at Misuki's shop so that she can pack clothes and stuff for the time she'll be spending with us. She wanted to bring a couple potions with her, but I immediately turned it down. The last time Misuki brought a potion over, it blew a hole through the roof. And yet, it was supposed to make your skin smooth or something similar to that. I'm not that knowledgeable with beauty stuff.

When we got to my house, we changed out of the sweaters and coats we were wearing and got into something more comfortable before we made dinner. And by "we", I mean Arle. Ringo and I don't know how to cook, and we've banned Misuki from ever using a stove ever again (another potion incident).

So as of right now, Arle was making dinner while Ringo, Misuki and I were messing around with the party supplies we bought and Carbuncle was asleep on my couch.

Not sure why. Pretty sure he didn't do much today.

"So what exactly do they want for these decorations, Ammy?" Misuki asked me.

"Hmm…not sure. Ms. Accord wasn't really specific with the details."

"As usual." Ringo added.

"I was just going to wing it and see if they like it."

"Yeah. That sounds like the only option." Misuki said.

"Dinner should be done in about an hour, guys." Arle said as she joined us in the living room.

"Great! That should be enough time to help Amitie with her love life." Ringo said.

" _It's not my_ _ **entire**_ _love life, Ringo._ " I felt insulted.

"Well, you know what I mean."

" _ ***sigh***_ So, does anyone have any ideas?"

"Well…" Arle spoke up. "I was thinking that maybe you could practice a little with someone."

"Huh? You mean like a practice confession?" Misuki asked.

"Yeah, kinda like that. I, uh…kinda did it myself before confessing my love for you, Ringo." Arle then started blushing a little.

"Y-You did?" Ringo asked, also blushing at this point.

Arle shook her head because of the fact that she was too embarrassed to say anything.

"Arle… _ **That's so sweet!**_ " Ringo cheered as she grabbed Arle into a hug and repeatedly kissed her.

" ***giggle*** I'm so glad I've made you happy, Ringo."

"Uh…guys? We're still here." I said.

Arle and Ringo realized this, and let go of each other as quickly as they can due to the embarrassment.

"R-Right. O-Of course." Ringo said.

"S-Sorry, Amitie." Arle said.

"So anyway, how would this practice confession work?"

"Oh, it's easy. In order to build up confidence, you use something like a decoy to practice on. You keep on saying "I love you" to it until you feel like you're ready for the real deal." Arle explained.

"I see. That sounds simple enough. But…I don't really have a decoy to practice on."

"Not to worry, Amitie! You're best friend, Arle Nadja has got you covered!" Arle boosted with one eye winking and a thumbs up.

 _This cannot be good…_

Arle then went over to the couch where Carbuncle was asleep and tried to wake him up.

"Carby. Hey, Carby."

" _Gu?_ " Carbuncle woke up a little dazed.

"I need your help with something." Arle then whispered something in Carbuncle's ear.

"Gu, gu, guu!"

We then saw that the red gem that's on Carbuncle's head started to glow. Then a magic circle had spawned in the center of all of us and out from the bright light came someone I didn't think I would see.

Like, at all.

"Huh? What? Where am I? What just happened?"

"Hey, Nasu Grave." Arle greeted him.

"Arle?"

"We kinda need your help for something. It'll be really quick, I swear."

"Uh…what?" I asked in complete shock and confusion.

You see, along with Arle, Misuki, and others like Draco, Schezo, Rulue, and Satan, a bunch of odd people came here from the other world. Ones like Suketoudara, a fish with arms and legs that loves to dance, Zoh Daimaoh, an elephant with a bit of a short fuse, Skeleton T, a skeleton that loves to drink tea (not sure how that's possible),

And then there's Nasu Grave, a talking eggplant who says he's not edible, but he looks edible. I actually thought at one point that he was going to eat the whole town because he didn't know what a primp was.

But now, looking back at it, that sounds really ridiculous.

"What's this quick something?" Nasu Grave asked.

"We just need you to stand there while Amitie here says "I love you" a couple times." Arle said.

…

…

"Uh…what?"

"That's what I said." I added.

"Oh, come on, Nasu Grave." Misuki said. "You've always said how you wanted more attention. All you have to do is stand there like a decoy and you'll get some."

"D-Decoy?! I may want attention, but I'm not that desperate!"

"Really? Cause you've always seemed desperate to me."

" **I'M NOT DESPERATE!** "

"No. Guys, this is ridiculous." I said. "I'm not going to sit here and say "I love you" to an eggplant. No offense."

"It's okay. I've heard it before."

 _Ah, geez. Poor guy._

"Well, that was a bust. Anyone else got any ideas?" Arle asked.

"Wait, you're not going to send me back?! The forest is really far from here!" Nasu Grave complained.

" _ ***ugh***_ Fine! You know you complain a lot, right?"

Before Nasu Grave could respond to that, the same magic circle from before respawned and it sent him back to where ever he was before.

"So like I said, any ideas?" Arle asked again.

"Hmm…well, we could ask Risukuma." Ringo suggested.

"Who?" Misuki asked.

"He's the guy with the advice booth near the outskirts of town."

"Wait, you mean that squirrel…bear…man…thing… **WHAT IS HE?!** "

"No one really knows." The rest of us said.

"But he can give advice to pretty much everything. And he's especially an expert on love. He'll definitely help you out, Amitie."

"Yeah, I guess. I could try that. Great idea, Ringo." I said.

"That's my girlfriend for ya! Always so smart!" Arle cheered as she hugged Ringo for the…actually, I've lost count.

" ***giggle*** Arle…"

"Guys. Come on." I was starting to get annoyed again.

" _ ***tired moan***_ _I'm so tired. I could just sleep past Christmas._ " A new voice was heard.

"Hey, Mom."

"Hi, Melody." The three guests said.

" _Oh hey, everyone. Spending the night?_ "

"Yeah, they are. And I've told Misuki that it was okay for her to stay here for the holidays." I said.

" _Oh. Well, that's fine. I'm just gonna lay down here real quick…_ "

" **W-Wait, Melody! Th-that's where…** " Arle tried to warn her, but it was too late.

 ***muffled noises***

" **GAH! WHAT THE HELL?!** " Mom shouted as she jumped up from the couch.

" **Gu, gu, gu!** **Gu, gu, gu!** **Gu! Gu! GU!** "

"Oh. Sorry, Carbuncle. I didn't see you there. _***yawn***_ "

"Wow, Melody. Are you that tired?" Ringo asked.

"Yeah. Akuma got me working double time to finish that book. It's done now. It just needs editing."

"Luckily, she's off until the day after Christmas. So she won't have to worry about it for a couple days." I explained.

"And now, I'm going to sleep."

"You don't want any dinner, Melody?" Arle asked.

"I'm good. Because for the next day or two, I'm going to be knocked the f…"

" **MOM!** " I shouted.

"Fine. I get it. Going to bed now." Mom finally went to her room and closed the door behind her.

" _ ***sigh***_ _Geez, that woman._ "

"You know, in a way, it's kinda funny." Misuki said.

"Shut up, Misuki."

* * *

 **Chapter 4 – Advice From a Squirrelbear**

So the next morning, the four of us made our way to the outskirts of town, usually where those multiple signs that point to nowhere or mean absolutely nothing, to find Risukuma and ask him for help.

Me personally, I don't know Risukuma as much as Ringo does other than the fact that they came from the same world. All I really know is that he's a…squirrel…bear…person…thing (seriously, what is he?) that likes to do experiments. Often times, these experiments cause explosions. So in a way, he's just like Misuki.

" _ ***shiver***_ It's freezing out here! I think it got colder than yesterday!"

"That's what happens during the winter, Witch. You just gotta get used to it." Arle said to her.

" _Get used to it?_ " Misuki whined. But then went silent for a moment and then grew a smile soon after. "Or, I could just…"

"No."

"You don't even know what it is!"

"I don't care. No."

" _ ***whine***_ _Killjoy!_ "

" _ ***sigh***_ You're really something else, Witch."

"You know, in a way, it's kinda funny." I said.

"Shut up, Amitie."

"Let's see…he should be around here somewhere…" Ringo said as she looked around the area.

"Hey, Ringo. Can Risukuma really help me out?"

"Not to worry, Amitie. Ris will definitely help you out. To be honest, he helped me out when I was struggling to understand my feelings for Arle."

"He did?" Not only I asked that, but Arle did as well.

"Yeah. It was a huge struggle for me, as I wasn't sure if people would accept me for being in love with another girl. But then Ris convinced me that it didn't matter who you loved, you just have to love them with all your heart. And that's how I gained the courage to confess my love for you, Arle."

" _R…Ringo…_ " Arle sounded like she was about to cry. But then she hugged Ringo as tight as she could and cried into her coat so no one could hear.

I'll be honest…seeing that almost made me start crying.

"S-Sorry you guys had to see that." Arle said with a faint blush.

"It's okay, Arle. Really it is." I said.

"Yeah, I think it's great that you found someone to love." Misuki added. "And if anyone disagrees, you can just kick them in the…"

" _Hey…_ "

"What? I was going to say butt."

"No, you weren't."

"Well, okay. I wasn't. But I meant what I said."

" _ ***sniff***_ Th-Thanks, you guys." Arle said.

* * *

" **There he is!** " Ringo shouted as we finally found Risukuma after another 15 minutes of searching.

He was at his booth, as usual. Giving advice to people to help with their problems. This time, he was talking to Suketoudara. And they look like they were deep into their conversation.

"Hmm…I see. So this Seriri girl sees you as a friend, but you want it to be more than that?"

"Yeah, yeah! That's it! I keep moving and grooving into her heart to make her notice, but she just doesn't get it! I feel like I'm flopping for air at times! Is there something I not doing right?"

"Hmm…well, first off…tell me what she's like."

"Well…she's rather shy. But she's the most beautiful girl in the world. Her greenish blue eyes, her long, blue hair, her scaly tail…"

"Scaly tail?"

"Well, she is a mermaid."

"I see. Now it's starting to make sense."

"Hey, Ris." Ringo said.

"Hey, Suketoudara." Arle and Misuki said.

"Ah. Ringo. Good to see you." Risukuma greeted us.

" **Fiiish!** Arle! I've heard the good news! Congrats on your new catch!" Suketoudara said.

"Uh…thanks, Suketoudara. But I wouldn't exactly call Ringo a "catch". At least, not in that way."

"So, what can I do for you girls?" Risukuma asked.

"It's Amitie. She needs some love advice." Ringo said.

"I see. Well, what seems to be troubling you, young Amitie?"

"W-Well…" I was a bit nervous about telling someone about my feelings for Sig. Arle, Ringo, and Misuki were kinda sorta easy. And Raffina forced the truth right out of me. Other than that, no one else knows. But then again…if I don't, I won't get any help. So I don't really have a choice.

"Y-You see, I kinda…well, no. I have this huge crush on one of my classmates and I want to confess to him on Christmas Day. But…I'm too scared to do so. It's to the point where I get nervous while talking to him. I don't think he notices, either. I just want him to know how I feel. What should I do?"

"Hmm…yes. This is very interesting." Risukuma said as he thought to himself.

"What do you think, Ris?" Ringo asked.

"Well, seeing as how you're at that age…you could try flirting."

"Fl-Flirting?!" I started blushing.

"It's said and believed that if a girl flirts a bit to the boy she loves, the boy will start to feel an excited feeling and become interested in you. I've actually had this tested out in a recent experiment. And the positive results made it clear that it was a perfect success."

"Of course! Why didn't we think of that?!" Arle asked.

"Girls are experts on flirting! You just need to do a couple of times and he'll notice in no time, Amitie!" Ringo said.

"B-But…"

"We'll even help you out a little, Ammy! I can whip us the cutest outfit for you to wear! It can even be Christmas-themed!" Misuki said.

"Great idea, Witch!" Arle cheered.

"B-But guys…"

"Hey, hey, hey! Maybe you can throw in a couple dance moves while you're at it! Now goes wrong when you're dancing for love!" Suketoudara added.

"Even better!" Arle and Misuki cheered.

" **You're not helping!** " I shouted.

"Well, it looks like we got our next idea. Thanks for the advice, guys." Ringo said.

"Anytime, Ringo." Risukuma said.

"Hope your quest for love reaches its final fever, baby!" Suketoudara said.

"Come on, Amitie! Let's go prepare!" Arle yelled as she grabbed my hand and started pulling me back to town in excitement.

" _Get really real…_ " I whined.

* * *

 **Chapter 5 – Public Flirtation**

So then. The next day, at the nearby mall…

" **NO WAY! I'M NOT COMING OUT!** "

"Aw, come on, Amitie. You're not even giving it a chance." Ringo said.

" **GIVE IT A CHANCE?! YOU GUYS HAD ME COME TO THE MALL AND WEAR THIS RIDICULOUS OUTFIT!** "

"We're wearing it too, you know." Arle said.

" _How are you guys not embarrassed?!_ "

"Come on, Ammy. Don't you want Sig to love you the way you love him?" Misuki asked.

…

"Y…Yeah…" I replied after thinking about it.

"Then quit being a baby and get out here already."

" _ ***whine***_ Fine."

I finally stepped out one of the stalls in the restroom and came out to meet with everyone else. This particular outfit that I find so embarrassing is this red and white sweater-like dress with a hood in the back and a pair of mostly white and some red shorts. It had a gold heart and a red heart connected to a part of the hood. I also wore red gloves with white hearts on the outside, and red & white boots that were similar to my normal red ones. But with hearts on the top. Also, for some reason, my Red Puyo Hat decided to turn itself into a Red Puyo Santa Hat.

It made the outfit match better, but I still hated the fact that I was wearing it in the first place. In public, no less.

"See, Amitie? You look totally cute in that." Arle said. Her outfit was similar to mine, but it had stars in the same places instead of hearts.

"Yeah, so true. You look super cute in that, Amitie." Ringo said. Her's was kinda different from mine. The sweater and boots were white, she had on a red and white skirt, and there were apples on the spots where I had hearts and Arle had stars on.

" _ **Ohhohoho!**_ All thanks to me, of course! Another special trait I learned from my grandmother!" Misuki's was a mix of all of ours combined. The sweater was white and she had a red and white skirt on, but her boots were red and white and there was a mix of hearts and stars in the places we had our stuff on.

"B-But guys…why are we wearing these **at the mall?!** " I asked, still feeling embarrassed.

"Because." Ringo answered. "Today, people are getting their last-minute gifts for Christmas, right?"

"Yeah…"

"So, we just to look around the mall and find Sig. once we do, you can start flirting with him."

" **Wait, what?! You mean we're actually going to WALK AROUND in these things?!** "

"Duh." All three girls said.

" **No! No! No, no, no! No! HELL NO! NO! I'M NOT DOING IT!** " I was blushing so much, my face could match this ridiculous outfit.

"Amitie…" Arle said.

"No! Look, guys! I know you've been trying really hard to help me out, but this…I can't do this! I can't have Sig see me in this! It's too embarrassing!"

"Don't you think we know that, Ammy? That's why we're wearing them too." Misuki said.

"H-Huh? R-Really?"

"Yeah." Arle said. "The fact that we're standing in the middle of the mall in these outfits, the possibility of our panties being shown to everyone here increased greatly. We're doing this to help you out, Amitie. To have your Christmas wish come true."

Geez. Now I feel like a jerk. The fact that they feel just as embarrassed as me in these outfits, yet they're doing it for me. It's so sweet! I really do have the best friends in the world!

"G-Guys. I-I'm sorry. I should be more confident in these ideas. A-And well…these outfits are kinda cute."

"Yeah! And the view is nice, too!"

" _ ***shriek***_ " Arle and Misuki screamed as they held down their skirts. Oddly, Ringo didn't do it as well.

" **Wh-Who said that?!** " Misuki asked.

" _ ***sigh***_ I know who did." Ringo said with an annoyed look on her face. " **Ecolo!** "

"Right here, Ringie! _***giggle***_ " Ecolo said as he appeared right in front of us.

"Did you _**really**_ look at our panties?"

"No. I just wanted to see you react to it."

" **Jerk!** " Arle and Misuki shouted.

"Figures." Ringo said with a facepalm. "What are you even doing here, Ecolo?"

"Getting a gift." Ecolo said in a teasing way.

"For who? And with what money? Pretty sure you don't have any. You better not steal anyone's gifts."

"Do you really think I would do that?"

"Knowing you…yes."

"Aw. You're mean, Ringo. _Santa's not gonna like that._ " Ecolo said the last part in a teasing way.

" **Santa doesn't…w-would you just knock it off already?!** " Ringo started blushing.

 _Was she about to say that Santa doesn't exist?!_

"Hey! Ecolo!" We heard a new voice calling out to Ecolo. When we saw who it was, it kinda shocked us a bit.

"Huh? Peruvis?"

"Guys? Wow…what's with the ridiculous outfits?" Peruvis asked.

" **I-It's not ridiculous!** A bit embarrassing, yes. **But not ridiculous!** " Arle yelled.

" _Right…_ "

Peruvis is a girl that recently moved to Primp on her own. And is…quite different from most of us. For one, she has a single black horn coming out of the right side of her head. But unlike Lidelle, who hides both of her horns underneath her hair, Peruvis keeps it out and exposed from her light-purple hair.

At one point, I saw that she had these weird purple markings on her arms and legs. And one can be barely seen on her forehead. I asked her what they were for, but she says she doesn't like to talk about it.

Also…

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said these looked ridiculous. Is this some new stereotypical teen girl trend or something?"

"Wait, how is it stereotypical?" Misuki asked.

"Well, it's clearly…"

 ***POW***

" **Ow!** "

"Nobody cares." Peruvis said.

" _Why you little…_ "

…She has this white ghosty-thingy named Phoenix that comes out of her back sometimes. The two tend to argue a lot. Which makes me wonder why they're fused together like that in the first place. But, like with the purple markings, she doesn't like to talk about it.

"So, what are you doing with Ecolo? Ringo asked.

"Well, I was busy looking for a present that I could send to a friend of mine back in my hometown when we ran into this drooling blob-thing. He kept bugging me about finding a gift for "someone he knows". I personally didn't care, but Phoenix wouldn't shut up about it."

"Hey, where's your Christmas spirit? You were seriously going to let someone struggle for finding a gift for "someone he knows"? Phoenix asked.

"I'm willing to help people if it doesn't cut into my own time. And besides, his story seemed odd. Much like him as a whole."

" _Hey…_ " Ecolo got insulted.

"And another thing. You've got some nerve ditching me like that! I had to pay for this diamond pearl necklace with my own money!"

" **You got it?! Yahoo! My plan worked!** _ ***giggle***_ " Ecolo cheered as he took the diamond pearl necklace out from Peruvis' hands.

"So that was your angle, huh?" Ringo asked.

"Yep! You were right about me not having any money. So I found the closest poor sap I could find and used one of those sad stories you hear during those Christmas movies that play non-stop. I just can't believe someone **ACTUALLY** fell for it! _***giggle***_ "

"Yeah, I was shocked, too." Phoenix added.

" **YOU MEAN YOU KNEW IT WAS A TRICK?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!** " Peruvis shouted as she was boiling with rage.

"I was waiting for you to figure it out. But apparently, you were too much of a dunce to do so."

" _ **Why you little…**_ "

"Aw, that was fun. Welp gotta get going. See ya later, Ringo! _***giggle***_ " Ecolo said before he disappeared from our sights through means of space-time.

" _Ugh. This sucks._ " Peruvis whined as she fell into a nearby bench in a mix of shame and anger.

"It's okay, Peruvis." Ringo said. "Ecolo just does what he wants without thinking of how it affects people. I have to deal with it a lot."

"Thanks, Ringo. But no offense, it doesn't really solve the fact that I don't have any more money. That necklace was expensive as hell."

"Who does Ecolo want to give a diamond pearl necklace to, anyway?" Arle asked.

"That's a good question." Ringo said.

 ***SOUND OF A GIRLY RINGTONE***

"Hello? Yeah, I'm here. I'm in the west wing. I pretty much just got scammed out of my money by a drooling blob and don't have anything left to buy gifts. Yes, I know it makes no sense, but it happened. Just get over here, please. Okay, bye."

"Who was that?" I asked Peruvis.

"A friend of mine. He's actually my childhood friend. We've known each other since we were 3-years-old. Didn't think we would move to the same town on our own at some point."

"Oh, wow. A childhood friend? That's nice. Can we meet him?" Ringo asked.

"Sure, why not? Oh, here he comes now. Looks like he brought his little sister with him, too."

 _W-Wait. His sister? The only boy I can think of who has a little sister here is…_

"Hey! Sig! Over here!"

" **WHAT?!** " The four of us shouted in pure shock.

"Hey, Peruvis." Sig said as he walked up to us.

"Peridi!" With him was his little sister, Chu. She's a lot like her brother, but the only difference is that she's terrible with names. As in, she can't remember them. So she calls us variants that are sometimes not even close to the real name. It's an annoying trait of hers, but we've managed to deal with it.

"Hey, Amytee. Hey, Aruru. Hey, Apple. Hey, Broom."

"It's _Amitie_."

"It's _Arle_."

"It's _Ringo_."

"It's _Witch_."

Well… _ **managing**_ to deal with it.

"Wait, so hold on. Sig…you and Peruvis are…childhood friends?" I asked.

"Yeah. Knew each since we were 3. She's a good friend. Bad neighbor, though."

 _ **They're neighbors, too?!**_

"Hey! How am I a bad neighbor?!" Peruvis asked.

"You sneak into our house in the morning and wake us up with that load guitar of yours."

"You two would sleep all day if I don't do that."

"There are other ways."

"Yeah, true. But my way's more fun."

" _Not for us._ " Both Sig and Chu whined.

 _H-He…he even whined. He never whines when he's with other people. It's like he's a whole new person when he's with Peruvis. These two…they're perfect for each other._

 _I…_

 _I…_

 _I don't stand a chance…_

"So how did you get scammed by a…drooling blob-thing?" Sig asked.

"It's a long story. Right now, I need something to eat. Buy me some food?" Peruvis begged.

"I guess."

"Yes! Free food!" Peruvis cheered. "You guys want some, too?"

"Sure! I can go for some free food!" Misuki cheered.

"Witch. Buy your own food." Arle said.

" _What?!_ "

"I'll come along, too. I'm getting kinda hungry, myself." Ringo said.

"Coming too, Ammy?"

…

"Ammy?"

"Uh…a-actually, guys. I-I'm just gonna go home."

"Go home? Why? What's wrong?" Arle asked.

"I-I just…need to be alone for a while. You guys go on ahead. I'll see you later. It was nice to see you, Sig, Chu, and Peruvis." I then started walking away from the group.

"Ammy, wait." I heard Sig call out for me, but I ignored him. And instead started running towards the nearest exit.

While running, I felt tears escaping from my eyes. And this hard pain in my heart. It felt horrible. Literally, the most pain I've ever felt in my entire life.

This pain. It felt like…

…a frozen heart.

 ***CONTINUED IN PART 2***


	2. Part 2

**Chapter 6 – Chatting With an Old Buddy**

I didn't really do much for the rest of yesterday. Just stayed in my bed and continued my state of heartbroken sadness. Finding out that Sig and Peruvis are childhood friends, and seeing how they interact with each other…

…There's no way I can compete with that. It's pretty clear that their bond is stronger than ours. For all I know, they could…

They could…

They could…

…

…

 _Fiddlesticks. Just thinking about it being a possibility is making me more depressed. Being heartbroken is the worst._

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Amitie? You in there?" I heard Arle's voice.

"Go away." I said.

"Come on, Amitie. We haven't seen you since yesterday and we're getting worried." Now I was hearing Ringo's voice.

"Just leave me alone."

"Okay, we're coming in!" Misuki said as she opened the door without any hesitation.

" _ ***Depressed moan***_ " I turned over with my back facing the other girls as they walked up to my bed.

"Come on, Ammy. Just talk to us."

"What's there to talk about? You guys saw it. Childhood best friends since the age of 3. Those two are perfect for each other."

"Just because they're childhood friends, doesn't mean they love each other." Arle said.

"Yeah, you're overthinking it." Ringo added.

"Guys. Please. Just leave me alone. It's over." I said as I was about to cry.

"I don't really see how it's over. Do you?"

"Poyo."

…

 _Wait…what?! Those voices!_

I turned around and sat up from my bed to face the group of friends. And saw an additional two that really took me by surprise.

" **Kirby?! Adeleine?!** "

"Hiya, Amitie."

"Hiiiii!"

" **Oh my God!** " I screamed really loud as I hugged the two with extreme excitement. I haven't seen these two since we went to their world almost a year ago. It was a huge adventure and was really fun, too.

" **What are you two doing here?! Well, more like…HOW are you two here?!** " I asked.

"Well, with Christmas coming up, everyone's spending it with family and such. Ribbon went back to Ripple Star and Dee had some relatives of his own. Which kinda left us out. Then Kirby got the idea to ask Magolor to send us to this world. And so, here we are." Adeleine explained in full detail.

"We were actually on our way here when we saw them come out of one of those star-shaped portals." Arle added.

"Wow! So cool! I'm really glad to see you again, little buddy!"

"Poyo poyo!" Kirby cheered.

"So what's this thing that you're saying it's over?" Adeleine asked.

…

"Oh. Right." I then went back to being depressed.

"Poyo?" Kirby asked as he jumped onto my bed.

"Well…you see, I have these special feelings for one of my friends at school. I want to tell him, but I'm too scared to. So the others have been helping me gain enough courage to do so. But then…something happened yesterday. And now, I don't think I can do it anymore."

"Really? What happened?" Adeleine asked.

"Well…apparently, this boy that I have special feelings for has a childhood friend. She recently moved here and we didn't know that they knew each other for so long until yesterday."

"We've been trying to tell her that it really doesn't matter, but she won't listen to any of us." Ringo said.

"I see."

"Poyo. Poyo poyo."

"Huh? What do you mean, Kirby?"

"Poyo. Poyo poyo poyo. Poyo poyo. Poyo."

"You think it matters to Amitie because this childhood friend is a girl?"

"Poyo."

"Is that what it is?" Arle asked me.

I didn't really know how to answer that. Well…okay, I did know. But I was too embarrassed to admit it. Let alone that it was Kirby of all people who figured it out. Didn't even know the little guy knew about such things.

"So I'll take the awkward silence as a yes." Arle said.

"Geez, Ammy. Why didn't you say something?" Misuki asked.

"It's not that easy, okay! I didn't know how to react then so I ran away. Now I'm more scared than before. What if they really do have feelings for each other? What if this whole thing was just a waste of time? What if…I can never love again?"

"Amitie…"

"Well, you could just ask."

" **Adeleine!** " Arle, Ringo, and Misuki shouted.

"What? I'm just saying. Just ask the guy if he has feelings for this girl. Plain and simple."

"It may be plain and simple back in Dream Land, but not so much here." Ringo said.

"Okay, then what do you suppose we do?"

"Hmm…"

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*** While all this was going on, we heard a knock on the front door. It wasn't a normal knock, either. It sounded like someone was in a rush to get inside the house. Kinda weird, to be honest. And also a bit scary.

"Geez, who the hell is knocking like that?!" Misuki asked.

"Do you think it's Melody?" Arle asked me.

"No. Mom's asleep right now. And besides, she never forgets her key. _Of all things._ " I whispered the last part to myself.

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Whoever it is, sounds really persistent." Adeleine said.

" _ ***sigh***_ I better go and answer it then."

I got up from my bed and headed out my room, into the hallway, towards the front door. With the others following right behind me. At this point, the person was banging on it really hard. I honestly don't know anyone that eager to come inside my house. It really got me thinking about who it could be.

But the thinking didn't last long. Because when I opened the door, I saw Feli standing the entryway.

"Huh? Hey, Feli. You need some…"

" **SHHH!** Be quiet, Amitie. _**I sense a great universal power coming from your house and I want it all!**_ _**Fufufufu!**_ "

 _Huh? Universal power? There's no universal pow-oh, I get it now._

"L-Listen, Feli. Th-There's been a mistake."

" _ **Mistake?! NONSENSE! My dowsing rods never make mistakes! I know the power is in here! You're just trying to hide it for yourself, aren't you?!**_ "

"N-No. Feli, listen…"

" _ **I don't want to hear your lies! STEP ASIDE!**_ "

Feli pushed me out the way and entered my house. Where in the hallway, she got a glance at the others. Specifically, Kirby. She kept staring at him, and he eventually got confused.

"Poyo?" He asked me.

"Uh, well…"

"Oh."

"My."

" **GOD!** "

Feli rushed over to Kirby and grabbed him into a hug that looked rather tight. But knowing Kirby, he probably can't feel it.

" **Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God! SOOO CUUUTE!** " She squealed.

"What in the world…" Adeleine couldn't believe what was happening in front of her.

"I-I can explain." I said. "This is Feli, a friend of mine. She likes to perform these charms and other occult-related stuff. But she kinda has a…how should I put it…split personality."

"Split personality?"

"Well…when ever she does these occult-related stuff, she gets this creepy personality that almost looks threating. Almost."

"I see. So I guess this right now is…"

"Yep. Her other personality. An extremely girly 15-year-old."

"Wow."

" _Ammy! Why were you hiding such a_ _cutie wittle thing from me?!_ " Feli said as she was still cuddling Kirby.

"Poyo…" While Kirby was looking like he wasn't enjoying it at all.

"Uh…Feli. I'll tell you what happened, but can you let go of Kirby first?"

" _Aw! But he's so cuddly!_ "

"Feli…"

" _Fine._ " Feli gave in as she finally lets go of Kirby, who spun around a bit before collapsing on the floor. Falling asleep in the process.

I admit, the whole thing was really funny to watch. But I held it in, for Kirby's sake.

* * *

After I placed Kirby on the couch in the living room, me and the other girls explained to Feli everything that happened when me, Arle, Ringo, Raffina, and Misuki went to Dream Land. Well… **almost** everything. I purposely left out some parts, as I don't want to be reminded of them.

"Woah! So you guys went to a completely different universe?! _The amount of power that place must have! If only I had gone with you!_ _ **I could've been a master sorceress of the divine! AND LEMRES WOULD LOVE ME FOR SURE! FUFUFUFU!**_ "

"F-Feli…pl-please calm down." I said.

"R-Right. S-Sorry."

"Wow. You weren't kidding about the whole split personality thing." Adeleine said.

"It's a common thing for her. But most of us have gotten used to it." Arle said.

"Huh."

"Alright, Feli. We told you everything. Now if that's all you wanted, then can you please go? We're kinda busy." I said.

"You mean with your love life troubles?" Feli asked.

"Okay first, it's **NOT** my entire love life! And second, how do you know that?!"

" _ **Fufufufu!**_ Did you really think you could hide the feeling of love away from me, Amitie? I am the Goddess of Love, after all."

I honestly had no clue where Feli got the idea of her being the "Goddess of Love", but she is really knowledgeable when it comes to love. Her love for Lemres has made her an expert on it, even mastering a few love charms own her own. I could ask her what to do. Since she already knows (somehow).

"Okay. What do you suppose I do?" I asked.

"Well, first we must…"

And just as Feli was about to explain her way of dealing with love, her phone started ringing and she went and answered it.

 _Oh, come on! Really?!_

" _Who has summoned me?_ " That's Feli's way of answering her phone.

…

"Y-You're here?! N-Now?! A-And you need to be picked up?!"

…

"O…Okay. Be there soon. B-Bye."

Feli hung up the phone and she looked away from us with a heavy blush on her face.

"Feli, you okay?" Ringo asked.

"Y-Yeah. I-It's just…A-Amitie…c-can you…c-come with me? T-To the train station?"

"Huh? The train station? What for?"

"J-Just please! D-Do me a favor?"

I was extremely confused. But seeing Feli act this way is a rare sight for me and an even rarer sight for the others. I knew something was up, and from the looks of it, Feli doesn't want anyone besides me to know about it.

"Okay, Feli. I'll go with you."

" **YES!** U-Uh, I mean…great. L-Let's go." Feli sounded happy that I was doing this with her, whatever it is.

"You guys go on ahead. We can use this time to show Adeleine around town." Arle said.

"Nice idea, Arle." Ringo said as she gave Arle a hug this time. I was kinda expecting for them to kiss again. I guess they don't want Kirby and Adeleine to know that they're dating. Smart move, to be honest.

"Okay, but what about Kirby?" Adeleine asked. We all then looked to see that Kirby was still asleep on the couch. Puffball just loves to sleep.

"Don't worry. I'll stay and watch him." Misuki said.

"Sounds good to me."

"Alright, Feli. Let's get going." I said to her.

"O…O-Okay." I saw Feli smile a little. And it was in a cute way, too. Another rare sight for me.

As we went out the door, not only was I thinking about why Feli wanted me and me only to go to the train station with her, but also about can she help me confess to Sig. I'm supposed to be on winter break, yet I'm doing way more thinking than I do in school.

Just my luck.

* * *

 **Chapter 7 – The Goddess of Love's Hypnosis Charm**

A few minutes later, we both reached the train station and were sitting on one of the benches inside just before the security checkpoint. I saw that Feli was squirming in her seat like she was excitedly waiting for something. Or, since we're in a train station, _**someone**_.

"So what are we doing here, Feli?" I asked.

"W-Well…I-I'm meeting a…fr-friend here. A-A special friend."

"Really? That's really nice, Feli. Who is it? A family member?"

"W-Well…sh-she kinda is…"

And I was officially lost.

"I don't really…"

" **Hey! Feli!** "

We were then brought to the attention of a short brown haired girl heading towards us. I don't know why, but at first glance...she looked really familiar. When she got closer to us, I instantly started recognizing her. And was blown away with shock.

 _N-No way! I-Isn't that…_

" **Futaba!** " Feli shouted as she ran up her. The two hugged each other extensively with extreme joy and happiness.

"It's so great to see you again, Feli! It's been so long!" Futaba cheered.

"Yeah! It really has! How is everyone?"

"Everyone's doing fine. They all miss you, but they're glad that you're doing better now."

"I see. Well, that's good to know." Feli said with a giggle or two.

In case you didn't know, Futaba is a girl Feli met when she ran away from home due to the horrible things that happened to her under the "loving care" of her stepmother. She actually lived with her and her family for a good while until me, Lidelle, and her dog Baldanders found her and (somehow) convinced her to come back us.

A weird thing about that was…much like Arle, Ringo, and Kirby, Futaba's from a different world. So I was pretty shocked to see her here in Primp Town. Just how did she get here?

"Uh…hey, Futaba. Nice to see you again." I said.

"Hey, Amitie. Didn't know you were tagging along too. Good to see ya again as well." Futaba said back.

"So, um. Quick question. How did you get here? What I mean is, we're from completely different worlds. So traveling between them isn't so easy."

"I believe I can answer that, Amitie."

I looked over to my right to see Lemres walking up to us. He had a plastic bag in his hands. Most likely filled to the brim with candy, I bet.

"Huh? Lemres? You're saying you brought Futaba here?"

"Well, not exactly. I did give her a special tool to help her out." He said.

"Special tool?"

"Oh, yeah. It's this thing, right?" Futaba asked as she pulled out something from her coat pocket. When I saw what this "special tool" was, I was even more blown away.

" **Woah, Woah, woah! What?! A Crystal Shard?!** "

"So you know what it is, Amitie?" Feli asked.

"Well…yeah, I do. I actually know someone who's like a guardian of them. Anyway, how did you get one, Lemres?"

"I just simply did a trade-off."

"Trade-off? Of what?"

"My Double Chocolate Éclair recipe."

 _Really, Ribbon? You gave up a Crystal Shard for an éclair?_

"I-I see." Was all I had to say on that.

"Well, anyway. I just came by to check to see if everything worked out. Now that it has, I'll be on my way. Have a Merry Christmas, girls."

"Merry Christmas to you too, Lemres! And thank you ever so much! This is the best Christmas present ever!" Feli shouted as we waved goodbye.

 _Ah. Now it makes sense. Feli wanted to spend the holidays with Futaba. How sweet!_

"So what were you guys doing when I called?" Futaba asked. And after thinking about it, it suddenly hit me.

 _Fiddlesticks! I completely forgot about my confession!_

"O-Oh. R-Right. U-Uh…"

"Amitie needs help confessing to a boy that she loves."

" **FELI!** " I shouted with my cheeks bright red from embarrassment.

" _ **OOO!**_ **A love confession! I came here just in time!** " Futaba cheered.

"Get real." I said to myself with an added sigh.

" _ **And she's about to get help from the one and only Goddess of Love! Fufufufu!**_ " Feli added.

"Yeah. Self-proclaimed."

" _H-Hey!_ "

"Oh, come on. You know it's true."

" _Y-Yeah, but you didn't have to say it!_ "

"Sorry, sorry. You know I really missed your split personality trait. It's pretty funny sometimes."

" _ ***whine***_ "

 _I'm about to learn how to confess my love…from_ _ **THESE**_ _two? Am I really this desperate?_

* * *

After finally leaving the train station, I decided to just take Feli and Futaba back to my house for the time being. Maybe by now, the others are done looking around town and I could possibly give this thing a second chance. Maybe.

"Ah. I see now. So this boy that Amitie has a crush on is her classmate and best friend. But yesterday, she found out that said crush has a childhood friend. And she thinks that they have a thing going on?" Futaba asked as she was trying to recall what Feli has told her.

"Yep. That's it." Feli said.

"And this boy's name is…Sig, right?"

"Yep. Although, I don't really see how you're in love with him, Amitie. He's kinda a dunce."

"We can continue this conversation without the insults, thank you." I said, sounding insulted.

"Right. Sorry."

"So do you really think you can help me out, Feli?"

"Of course I can. Nothing is impossible for the…"

"Self-proclaimed." Futaba butted in. The two then looked at each other with Feli looking more annoyed.

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine. The "self-proclaimed" Goddess of Love." She finally admitted it. "Happy now?"

"Eh. I would've gone either way." Futaba said with a smile.

"Jerk." Feli whined.

 _Seriously? These two? They look like they need more help than me at this point._

We finally returned to my house and went inside to see Arle, Ringo, Misuki, and Adeleine had returned from their tour and were sitting on the floor talking to each other.

"I'm back." I said, gaining their attention.

"Welcome back." Misuki said.

As I looked around, I noticed that Kirby wasn't easily seen by anyone. Which kinda got me worried.

"Hey, where's…"

"Hiiiii!" Kirby popped up from a cake box that was in the center of the group. He clearly ate some of it, as his face was covered with frosting and sprinkles.

I'd admit, seeing that made me giggle a bit.

" **Oh my God! Who's this little cutie?!** " Futaba squealed with excitement.

 _Aw, geez. Here we go again._

"Well…these are our friends, Kirby and Adeleine. They came from a different world named Dream Land to visit." I explained.

"Woah. A different world? Didn't think it was _**that**_ common for other worlders to come here."

"Huh? You mean you're from a different world, too?" Adeleine asked.

"Yeah, pretty much. I'm from a place called Tokyo, a city in Japan."

"Tokyo? Japan?" The four girls asked in confusion.

"Like I said. Completely different world."

"Wow."

"Geez. This world. It's like a meeting ground for all the others." Ringo said.

" ***giggle*** Yeah, totally." Arle agreed.

"Okay. Now that we're all here, what's your way of helping me out, Feli?" I asked her.

"Huh? Oh, right. Hold on. I got something that with help tremendously."

Feli started digging around through her coat pockets, pulling out all sorts of odd things that relate to charm making in some way. There were her usual dowsing rods, but then there stuff like a fake human skull, a rabbit's foot, and this goopy green slime that I could've sworn moved a little on its own. Most of us were in shock by the items. The only ones who weren't were Misuki, who I'm sure has seen these things before, Futaba, who I'm sure bought these things for Feli, and Kirby, who I'm sure has no idea what any of these things are.

After digging some more, Feli finally found what she was looking for. It was a black yo-yo with three white blades painted on it, and in the center was that same star that we usually see whenever she's performing one of her charms.

" _Now, Amitie…_ " She said. " _Just keep staring at the yo-yo as it moves back and forth, and you'll be cured in no time._ "

"Feli…is this what I think it is?" Misuki asked.

" _ **Fufufufu! Yes! This is that thing! This is the power of hypnosis! Fufufufu!**_ "

" _H…Hypnosis?!_ " Arle sounded really scared.

"Hypnosis? Come on. You can't possibly think that works." Ringo said.

" _ **You DARE deny the true power of hypnosis?!**_ "

"Please. Hypnosis is the most illogical thing in the universe. It's nothing more than a scam."

" _ **A scam?! Your words are nothing but mere nonsense! I'LL PROVE TO YOU OF ITS EXISTENCE!**_ "

" _Really?_ Are you seriously believing this, Amitie?"

"…"

"Amitie?"

" _H…Huh? O-Oh…s-sorry, guys. I must've of_ _ ***yawn***_ _spaced out._ " I said.

"Hey you okay, Amitie? You're looking a bit pale." Adeleine asked.

" _Pale…? Not sure what_ _ ***yawn***_ _that means…but I am…feeling…a bit…sl…sle…sleeeee…_ "

 ***THUD***

" **Amitie!** "

" **Guu!** "

" **Poyo!** "

" _ **Fufufufu! Yes! YES! Sleep, my dear Amitie! Sleep, and tomorrow you'll be a new you! Fufufufu!**_ "

That was the last thing I heard before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 **Chapter 8 – Labyrinth of Love**

" _Oh…my head. Why do I feel so dizzy?_ "

I really don't remember what I was doing or how long I was out for. But when I woke up, everything was a big blurry mess in my eyes. All I could see was white.

But as my eyesight started coming back, I was starting to realize that I wasn't going blind. It really was a giant white space. There wasn't a single person or thing to been seen from miles away. Everything was just…

…empty.

" **Hello?!** " I shouted. My voice echoed through the white space.

" **Anyone here?!** " My voice echoed again.

" **Guys?!** " My scared voice echoed for a third time.

" _Wh-What the heck? Wh-Where am I? Wh-What did Feli do to me?_ " I was literally about to cry when I started hearing voices.

" _ ***whine***_ _Now I'm starting to hear voices. I'm already going crazy._ "

But then I listened to the voices more. And they started to sound familiar.

" _ ***whine***_ _What do you mean we're lost?!_ "

"I mean, for the last time, **WE'RE LOST! WHAT PART OF THAT DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?!** "

" _Aw! But I wanna go home!_ "

"Well, you can blame this fish brat for that!"

" _Thanks a lot, Fish Brat!_ "

"Bite your tongue, peasant! Nobody speaks to me in that tone!"

"How's about I cut yours off with my sword?"

" **Y-You wouldn't dare!** "

"Try me."

"Wait a sec. Those voices…they sound very familiar." I said as I looked around to find the owners of said voices. It took a while, but I ended up finding them all in a group walking the same white space I was in.

"Schezo? Harpy? Ocean Prince?"

"Amitie?" Schezo asked. "What are you…"

" **AMITIE!** " But he was cut off by Harpy, who flew towards me and hugged me with sheer force.

"H-Harpy! Y-You're too…t-tight!" I said while barely breathing.

"Oops. Sorry." Harpy said as she lets go of me and rubs the back of her head.

"Finally! Some assistance! Amitie! Get us out of here! I'm missing my supper!" Ocean Prince commanded.

"Uh…" I didn't know how to respond.

"Just ignore him. He's been a pain all day." Schezo said.

" **Hey!** " Ocean Prince got insulted, but nobody cared enough to notice.

"Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"Uh…I really don't know." I said, trying to remember what I was doing before somehow coming here. Then it suddenly hit me like a Nuisance Puyo to the head.

"Well…I do remember doing something with Feli for a second. But I don't see how…"

" **Feli! I knew she had something to do with this!** " Schezo suddenly shouted.

"Huh? You mean you were with her too?"

"That's right! That little goth girl said something to me about making my Christmas better after she heard me talking…about…something. A-Anyway…"

 _What was with the short pause?_

"…she waved this yo-yo in my face and I remember falling asleep out of nowhere."

"Hey. She did the same thing to me after being at my house."

"Hey, Amitie. Is a yo-yo a circle thingy tied to a string?" Harpy asked me. She's a bit of an airhead, so that's why she asked.

"Yeah, Harpy. That's a yo-yo."

"Woah. So that's what that thing was that Feli waved in front of me."

"Huh? You mean she did it to you too?"

"Now that I think about it, she did the same to me." Ocean Prince added. "I was trying to escape from Otomo when she said she can give me the perfect hiding spot. Clearly, she lied to me."

"You don't say?" Schezo sarcastically retorted.

"So now the question is…why did Feli send us here?" I asked.

" _I believe I can answer that, Amitie._ "

We looked from above and saw someone floating down towards us. After closer inspection, that someone was Feli. What was odd about her was that she was wearing some kind of white dress with angel wings in the back. They were clearly fake. Which makes me wonder how the heck is she floating like that.

" **Feli! There you are! Quit all this nonsense and** _ **relieve**_ **us of this stress!** " Schezo shouted, which only made Feli laugh a little. And I think I know why.

"Uh…Schezo. It's _**release**_. Not _**relieve**_." I said.

"Tch! W-Well, you know what I mean!" Schezo grew embarrassed of his speech problem yet again.

" _And besides, I won't let you all leave so easily._ " Feli said.

"And just why the hell not?"

" _Because. Right now we're going to play a little game._ "

"A game?! Yay! I love games!" Harpy cheered.

"Indeed. This game could easily rid me of my boredom." Ocean Prince added.

"What kinda of game, Feli?" I asked.

" _I'll explain. But first, the reason you all are here. You three are in dire need of bravery, acceptance, and realization._ "

"Bravery?" I asked.

"Acceptance?" Schezo asked.

"Reali…what now?" Harpy asked, being more confused than the rest of us.

" _ ***giggle***_ _It's simple. All three of those things have one big thing in common. That big thing…is love._ "

"Love?" We all asked.

"What kind of ridiculousness is this?!" Schezo asked. Quickly getting agitated.

" _ ***giggle***_ _It's funny. Seeing you act so dumb. A clear state of denial._ "

"D-Denial?!"

"Feli. Why is love the reason we're in this white space?" I asked.

" _Oh, how silly of me. I got distracted. Well, the three of you each have someone you love and/or someone that loves you. You're here to either gain enough bravery, accept your fated love, or realize the love someone has for you. And to make it simple, #1 is Amitie, #2 is Schezo, and #3 is Harpy._ "

"Wait, what about me? I don't recall anyone having a crush on me. Or vice-versa." Ocean Prince said.

" _You don't. I just don't like you and plan on leaving you here._ "

" **WHAT?!** "

 _So this game of hers is going to make me brave enough to confess my love to Sig? Kind of a weird way to do it, but if this game really works out…_

"Guys. I think we should do it." I said.

"Huh? Really?" Schezo asked.

"Think about it, Schezo. Apparently, we're all here for the same reason. Well, three of us are. What I mean is, if we do this, we can have a happy Christmas with the one person we love. Don't you want that for yourself?"

"W-Well, I-I don't have anyone that I love. So this games seems pointless. B-But if it's the only way out, then I suppose I'll give it a go." Schezo started to blush.

" _ ***giggle***_ _Lying will get you nowhere, Schezo._ " Feli said.

" **Sh-Shut up!** "

 _Now that I think about it…who does Schezo love, anyway?_

"You still want to play, Harpy?" I asked her.

"I don't really get it. But if it's a fun game, then I'm all in!" She cheered.

"Great…I guess(?)."

" _H-Hey. Y-You guys are going to take me with you, right? I-I can't stay here in this void._ " Ocean Prince sounded terrified of being left here all alone.

"Don't worry. We'll find a way." I said to calm him down a little.

"Sounds like we're all in agreement, then." Schezo said. " **Alright, Feli! We accept your challenge! Now** _ **expose**_ **to us this** _ **sacred place of yours**_ **at once!** "

" _G-Geez! You didn't have to put it like that, pervert!_ " Feli was blushing with embarrassed shame while covering herself and looking away from us.

"H-Huh?! W-Wait, I…"

"S-Schezo. Let me do the talking from now on." I said with an averaged amount of redness on my own face.

"B-But I didn't…"

"I don't get it." Harpy said.

"What the heck does that mean?" Ocean Prince asked.

"Something that the both of you are **WAY** too young to know about." I said.

" _Leave it to the pervert to bring it up now._ " Feli added.

" **I'M NOT A PERVERT!** " Schezo yelled.

"So, what's this game anyway?" I asked.

" _Aw, yes. The game. Keep going straight, if you will._ " Feli said before disappearing in front of us. Leaving a trail of sparkles for us to follow.

"Ready, everyone?"

"Sure, whatever." Schezo said.

" **I'm ready, Freddy!** " Harpy cheered while holding up a peace sign.

" _It's so empty here…_ " Ocean Prince wasn't even listening, as he was still afraid of being left here all alone.

"Alright. Let's go." I said as we started following the trail to where ever it ended.

* * *

At the end of the trail, we reached what looked like a maze of some kind. There were three entrances blocked off by metal gates leading inside. And from a distance, I was able to see a pink heart floating on its own.

"Is this…the game?" I asked.

" _Right you are, Amitie._ " Feli answered as she appeared above us once again. " _Welcome to the Labyrinth of Love!_ _***giggle***_ "

"Labyrinth of Love?" Me, Schezo, and Ocean Prince asked.

"What's a…laybreath?" Harpy asked.

"It's _**labyrinth**_ , Harpy." I said to her. "It's basically a maze."

" _Oh._ "

" _Yes. That's right._ " Feli said. " _This maze will help you three overcome the barriers that block your way to true love._ "

"I still find this whole thing ridiculous." Schezo said.

"Schezo, shh!" I said to him.

" _Inside the Labyrinth of Love are 15 hearts. Five hearts for each of you. Each heart contains a memory of your past with the person you're destined to love. All you have to do…is collect the hearts and reach the end. There's more to it, but after you collect the hearts._ "

"Hmm…sounds simple enough." I said.

"Sounds stupid. But at least it isn't difficult." Schezo said.

"Is there food in there? I'm getting hungry." Harpy asked.

"You three better do this right. I don't want to be here much longer." Ocean Prince commanded.

" _So. Ready to play?_ " Feli asked.

We all looked at each other before finally deciding what to do next.

"Alright, Feli. We'll play your game." I said.

" _ **Fufufufu! Well then have fun…and good luck!**_ " Feli disappeared once again and the metal gates opened on their own. Opening the paths to the Labyrinth of Love.

* * *

The three of us each entered a path (Ocean Prince went along with Harpy) and began trekking the white spaced maze. I reached the first heart, which was at the first intersection, and stared at it for a few seconds. Not knowing what to do next.

"So, like…do I just touch it?" I asked myself as I reached out for it.

The heart then started glowing on its own. And eventually, spawned a heart-shaped portal. Soon after, I was able to see something through it. Possibly, like what Feli said, a past memory.

"Hey, wait a minute. I remember this memory. This is the day where we all first met Sig in class. Wow…he was so shy and quiet that day. No one would talk to him because of the weird red arm and red eye he had. But I decided to talk to him, and the two of us became best friends. I was so happy that day."

The heart-shaped portal closed up and turned back into the heart. It then phased into my body, and I felt a bit of warmness inside me.

 _Wow…that warm feeling. It felt…nice._

I kept exploring the maze and eventually found another heart blocking the way. I reached out to touch it, and it once again opened up a heart-shaped portal. Showing another memory of my past with Sig.

"This one…this is the day of the Puyo tournament. I remember having so much fun that day. Sig and I went up against each other in the semi-finals, and I asked him if he could go easy on me. In exchange for a tree filled with bugs that I found earlier that day, of course. He then brought up how his red arm was hard, and asked if my arms were hard too. I said that they were as soft as a Puyo. But then…h-he actually held my hand. A-A-And liked how soft it was. I remember blushing a little at that moment. Could that…could that have been the moment that I fell in love with him?"

I felt my heart beating a little faster than normal as the (other) heart closed up and went inside my body. The warmness it gave me was a bit more than the first one.

 _S-So warm…_

I continued onward, and found the third heart that I needed to collect. Like the first two, it opened up a portal from me touching it and it showed another memory from my past.

"This one's the day me and Sig went around town asking everyone if they knew anything about my hat. (This was before I found out its true purpose, which I don't want to talk about.) We were alone most of the time. And there were times I would catch myself staring at him. Or worse, he caught me. I would always say it was nothing, but now…now I know, it was a lie."

With the addition of the increased heartbeat, I fell little drops of tears running down my face. I didn't give it much thought, and continued on once the heart went into my body and increased the warm feeling inside.

 _So, so warm…_

Heart number 4 was like the ones before it. The only difference was the memory it contained.

"And this was the day I helped Sig find out about his red arm. He said that he couldn't catch bugs with it, and I really felt bad for him. We asked around, like we did for my hat. But when we asked Ms. Accord, all she said was for Sig to just use his right arm. He accepted it with no problems, but I still had my doubts. Either way, it was still a fun day that I had with him. And he's even getting better at Puyo. I may have lost, but losing to him, it…made me feel happier. Mainly because it was him."

The heart fused into my body. And the warm feeling increased even more.

 _Really warm…_

The fifth and final heart was only a few feet from the exit. I didn't even touch it this time and it opened up to reveal the last important memory of me and Sig being together.

And to be honest…this one hurts the most.

"No. This memory…anything but this memory. I wanted to forget this one. Why is it back?"

" _This one's the most important memory of all, Amitie._ " I heard Feli's voice, but couldn't see her anywhere. " _This is the memory that started it all._ "

"The memory that started it all. I…I-I remember. This memory…most of it was horrible. But the end…it's my most treasured moment."

This one moment. The part of the bad memory I had with Sig…this was the time where I accidentally spilled one of Misuki's potions on him. And that, mixed in with the demon inside him…it…it nearly killed him. A-And it was all my fault. I didn't even notice until it was almost too late. But somehow…I did it. I managed to save him. It was the most heartbreaking moment of my life. I've never felt so scared before. I honestly thought I was going to lose him. My classmate…my best friend…

 _My…_

 _My…_

" _Go on, Amitie. Say it. You know you want too._ " Feli said to me.

 _My…_

 _My…_

 _My…_

 _ **MY ONE TRUE LOVE! MY ONE AND ONLY LOVE! SIG! I KNOW YOU CAN'T HEAR ME RIGHT NOW, BUT I LOVE YOU!**_

" _ **Excellent! The power of true love prevails yet again! Fufufufu!**_ "

The heart disappeared into my body, warming me up to the max. My heart was beating rapidly and heavy tears were rolling down from my eyes. Whatever the heck Feli did to me really worked well. Cause I've never felt so happy before in my life.

 _This feeling…I never want it to go away._

* * *

" _Excellent job, everyone. You all cleared the Labyrinth of Love._ " Feli said. This time standing in front of us all.

"God, that was torture. Never thought I'd ever get out of there." Schezo said, looking more annoyed than he was before we entered the maze.

" _Fufufufu. You say that, Schezo. But I saw you having some moments._ "

" **I had ZERO moments!** "

" _ ***whine***_ _There wasn't any food in there at all! I'm so hungry, I could eat fish brat right here!_ " Harpy whined.

" **Fiend! Bite your tongue! I won't allow you to eat me!** " Ocean Prince shouted.

" _I'm okay with you eating him, Harpy._ " Feli said.

" **CURSE YOU, EVIL VIXEN!** "

"So, Feli. Can we get out of here now?" I asked.

" _Not yet, Amitie._ "

"You mean there's more?!" Schezo asked.

" _But I'm hungry!_ " Harpy whined.

" _ ***giggle***_ _You'll all be able to return to the real world soon. Just after you do this one last thing._ "

"And this thing is…" Ocean Prince asked.

" _ ***giggle***_ _You three have to shout out the one person you love!_ "

" **WHAT?!** " Schezo and I shouted.

" _It's super simple, really. Just say the name, and you'll all be free._ "

" **F-Feli! Y-You're insane!** " I yelled.

" **There is no way IN HELL I'm doing such a thing!** " Schezo shouted.

"I'm in love with Seriri." Harpy said.

" **Harpy!** " We both shouted again.

" _Well done, Harpy. That only leaves two._ " Feli said.

" **H-Harpy! H-How can you just say that so nonchalantly?!** " I asked.

"Noncha-what? Amitie. You're not making any sense."

" _ ***sigh***_ " I facepalmed.

" _Well. We're waiting, you two._ "

 _ ***whine***_ _Fiddlesticks! I'm gonna have to do it, am I? Well, if it's the only way to get out of here, then I don't have a choice._

I took a deep breath and relaxed before doing something that I think is rather embarrassing to do.

"I… **I'm in love with Sig!** " I shouted.

" _Excellent, Amitie._ "

"Really? With Sig? Isn't he an idiot?" Schezo asked.

"I still have my Copy Ability. Don't make me hurt you." I said in a threating tone.

" _And finally. It's your turn, Schezo._ "

"Yeah, I'll pass."

" **Schezo!** " I yelled.

"You better do it, perverted mage! I'll have you in the dungeon for if you don't!" Ocean Prince complained.

" **Okay. One, It's** _**Dark Wizard!**_ **Two, I'm not a pervert! And three, I don't love anyone! And even if I did, I most certainly wouldn't yell it out like a crazy person!** "

I then grew super angry.

" _ **Schezo! I swear to God! I've been waiting a long time for me to confess my love for Sig! It's been my dream to do it under the snowy night sky on Christmas Day! And if it's ruined because of your stubbornness, I will make your life a living hell! So quit your whining and SPIT IT OUT ALREADY!**_ "

…

…

…

Everyone was staring at me with a look of shock on their faces. Even I was shocked myself. I've never spoken like that before. Not even once.

I was about to apologize for it, when…

"Witch."

"Huh?"

"Witch."

" _Schezo. No one can hear you if you whisper like that._ " Feli teased.

"You're really pushing it."

"Oh, for Neptune's sake, peasant! Just say it already!" Ocean Prince yelled.

" **Fine! It's Witch! I'm in love with Witch! Happy now?!** "

I seriously could not believe what I just heard. Schezo just admitted that he loves someone. And it's Misuki, of all people!

 _Wow. Schezo X Witch. Someone should write about that!_

" _And so it's complete! The Labyrinth of Love is all cleared. You three are now free to go._ " Feli said.

" **H-Hey! Wh-What about me?! Y-You can't possibly leave me here all alone!** " Ocean Prince whined.

"Come on, Feli. It's Christmas. Just let him go." I added.

" _ ***sigh***_ _Fine. Fish Brat can go too._ "

A big heart-shaped portal opened up in front of us and it showed a picture of Primp covered in snow.

" **FREEDOM!** " Ocean Prince shouted as he ran inside the portal.

" _Mmmm…_ I can't wait to go home and enjoy the two things I love most. Seriri and food!" Harpy cheered before she flew into the portal in her usual excited tone.

"H-Hey, Schezo. I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I just didn't think you loved Witch that much." I said.

" _ ***sigh***_ Just don't tell her when we get back, alright? I want to do it myself."

"Alright. It's a deal."

We both entered the portal and each got separated while inside. My guess is they went to where ever Feli tricked them to fall asleep at. Luckily, I was in my house when that happened. Because there's something that I want to do as soon as I wake up. And no fear in the universe is going to stop me!

 _ **Watch me now!**_

 _ ***CONTINUED IN PART 3***_


	3. Part 3

**Chapter 9 – Learning the Truth**

"Have you figured it out yet, Feli?!"

"I'm, uh…working on it. Possibly."

" _Possibly?!_ "

I don't know what was going on, but I started hearing voices not too long ago. From the sounds of it, it was Feli (with her normal voice) and…Arle? Why does she sound upset?

"Well, to be honest, I didn't think this would work so well. As in, I didn't think she would sleep this long. Must be more powerful than I thought! _Fufufufu!_ "

" _Feli…_ "

 _Wait. Was I…asleep? Was that whole thing I went through a dream? It felt so real to me. Weird._

I started opening my eyes a bit and saw that I was in my room. With everyone standing near or around me. I didn't know what was going on, so seeing this was rather confusing for me.

" _H-Hey, guys. What's up?_ " I asked.

" **Amitie!** " Some of them cheered.

"Oh hey, Amitie. You managed to wake up on your own." Feli said.

"Wake up on my own? So I was asleep?"

"Yep. And in a deep sleep, too. I hypnotized you a little too much and it ended up putting you to sleep."

"Feli. How _**deep**_ are we talking about?"

"Hmm…about 4 days."

" **F-FOUR DAYS?!** " I shouted.

"Today's actually Christmas Eve." Adeleine added.

" **CH-CHRISTMAS EVE?!** "

"My bad." Feli said with a shrug.

" _ **My bad?!**_ **MY BAD?! After forcing me into a deep sleep for 4 days and making me go through all that stuff, all you have to say is "MY BAD"?!** " I sounded angry.

"Well, I'm sorry. It's just that…wait, what stuff?"

" **Don't give me that! You had me, Schezo, Harpy, and Ocean Prince trapped in some kind of white space and wouldn't let us leave until we cleared this "Labyrinth of Love" thing!** "

"Labyrinth of Love? I never did such a…" Feli then went silent for a bit while thinking to herself. " _Oh._ You probably met my doppelgänger."

"Your _what?_ " Everyone asked

"Yeah, I have a doppelgänger. She lives in the dream world and likes to make people fall in love with someone. She's rather annoying and I honestly can't stand her."

" _Your_ _doppelgänger?_ " I asked.

"I don't believe it." Ringo said.

"Fine. If you need proof, here's a picture of her." Feli said as she pulled out her phone. After a few button presses, she showed us a picture of her and her supposed doppelgänger.

At first, I didn't want to believe it. But as I looked at it more, it was starting to become true.

There were actually **TWO FELIS** on the **SAME SCREEN**.

The one on the left was the same Feli we've gotten used to. With her black doll-like dress and black shoes that she likes to wear sometimes. On the right was another Feli wearing a pink and white dress with large angel wings. And her shoes were pink instead of black. But the main difference was that unlike the original Feli, the doppelgänger didn't have the weird-looking metal rods. Instead, she had a brown teddy bear that looked a lot like Akuma for some reason. And she had hearts floating around her. The same hearts that I had to grab during that maze game that I was apparently dreaming about. It was all too much to understand all at once.

"Woah! That's insane!" Ringo said.

"Feli really does have a doppelgänger!" Misuki said.

" _Geez. And I thought I was the only one…_ "

"Huh?"

" **N-Nothing! I-I was just talking gibberish!** " Arle had whispered something to herself. But when Ringo asked, she quickly denied it. Kinda weird. But it's probably nothing, as she said.

"Woah! It's like you're twins or something!" Futaba said.

"Oh, hell no! Thank God we aren't! I would hate that more than I hate Klug!" Feli yelled.

"Who?"

"Not important."

"Huh. Well, can I at least meet her?"

" **Y-You actually want to meet her?!** "

"Sure, why not? I mean, I wouldn't mind seeing a doppelgänger of my best friend."

Feli went silent again. This time, while blushing a bright red hue on her face while looking away from Futaba.

" _F-Fine. I-If you really want to, I'll introduce you to her._ " She said nervously.

" ***giggle*** Thanks, Feli." Futaba said.

 _Are these two_ _ **really**_ _just best friends?_

"A-Anyway, Amitie. You said that my doppelgänger made you go through a maze?" Feli asked me.

"Yeah, she did. But now that I think about it…" I started thinking about everything that happened there. Then something came to mind. Something that I said I was going to do once I got out of that (dreamy) maze. And I've been sitting here waiting my time on a copy of someone. I already dealt with that once, and I wasn't going to do it again.

" **H-Hey, I gotta go! It's something important!** " I suddenly shouted.

"What?! But you just woke up from a deep sleep!" Misuki said.

"Don't you want to rest a bit?" Adeleine asked.

"I've done enough resting for a good while, don't you think?" I replied with a rhetorical question.

"Well, where ever you're going, at least take one of us with you." Arle said out of concern.

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine. Come on, Kirby!"

"Poyo!" Kirby jumped into my coat hood before I ran out of my room and eventually out the front door.

"Poyo poyo?" Kirby asked me.

"Just to a friend's house. I need to tell him something. Just keep hidden until afterward, okay little buddy?"

"Poyo poyo!"

I then continued running towards my destination as fast as I can. I'm not the best runner, so hopefully I can make it in one piece.

* * *

" _Ha…Ha…I made it! I'm exhausted like never before, but I made it!_ " I said to myself. nearly out of breath from running 6 blocks to get to my destination. I felt myself sweating all over my head. So I scooped up a little snow and rubbed it around my face. I instantly felt cooler, which is good. Because for what I'm about to do next, I need to be as calm as I can possibly can.

Which, now that I think about it, is kinda rare for me. As I'm not known to be calm.

 _Okay. Here I go. There's no going back. I need to do this. Right here, right now._

I knocked on the door and waited for the person I want to see to open it.

"Ammy?"

"H-Hey, Sig."

"I haven't seen you in days. I was getting worried."

 _H-He was worried?! A-About me?!_

"Ah, w-well…s-sorry about that. I just needed to be alone for a while. I-I'm fine now."

"Oh. I'm glad." Sig grew a small on his normally unamused face. It made me blush a little, but I managed to calm myself down.

"A-Anyway…c-can I come in?" I asked.

"Sure." Sig said as he opened the door more to let me in.

We walked through the small hallway into the living room, where I took a seat on the couch while Sig went into the kitchen for a second. He then came back out with two bottles of water and gave one to me.

"You looked pretty tired. Thought you might want one." He said.

"Oh, um…thanks, Sig. I was kinda thirsty." I said while grabbing the water.

"You think your friend wants some, too?"

"H-Huh? Wh-What friend?"

"The friend hiding in your coat."

" **Y-You knew?!** " I asked with complete shock.

"Pretty much."

" **How?!** "

"I dunno."

 _How is he this observant for this but not during school activities? Then again, I can't say I'm any better._

"Alright, Kirby. The gig's up. You can come out now."

"Hiiiii!" Kirby said as he popped out of my coat.

"He's kinda cute." Sig said.

"Yeah. Everybody says that about him."

"How'd you two meet?"

"Well…it's kind of a long story. Like **REALLY** long. Might take 6 months to get through not even half of it."

"Oh."

"Well, anyway…Kirby, this is my best friend, Sig. he and I are classmates."

"Poyo poyo."

"Nice to meet you too, Kirby." Sig said.

"Wait, you can understand him?"

"Pretty much."

" **Again, how?!** "

"I dunno."

 _He's so weird. But so cute. I really hope things go well for me to do this._

"S-So, uh…I-I see that you're alone. Did Chu went out?" I asked.

"Yeah, uh…they should be back anytime now."

"They?"

" **Shigu!** "

We both turned around to see Chu rush into the living room. And I watched as she jumped onto her older brother.

"Hey, Chu. Had fun?" Sig asked.

" **Yep! Sure did! I got to see Santa and I got to tell him what I want for Christmas!** "

"Really? What's that?"

" **A snake!** "

" **Wh-Wh-Wh-WHAT?! A-A-A-A SNAKE?!** " I shouted.

"Oh. Hi, Amytee." Chu said with a wave once she saw me there.

"Chu, Why do you want a snake for Christmas?!"

"She's always wanted one. Even when she was little." Sig answered.

" _I asked Mom and Dad every year for one, but they always said no._ " Chu added in a whiny tone.

"Chu, that's because Mom was afraid of snakes."

" _I could've hidden it, though._ "

"You're not getting the point, Chu." I said while having a sweatdrop moment.

"Sheesh, Chu! Were you _**that**_ excited to see your brother after like, an hour or two…"

I heard a voice come inside the house and into the living room. The voice sounded familiar, and I knew who it was. Then we both looked eye to eye as this person stopped what she was about to say.

"H-Hey…A-Amitie." Peruvis said to me.

"Hey…Peruvis." I said back.

 _She looks so nervous right now. Don't know why, though. I didn't do anything to her. Unless…unless she knows…_

"W-Well, anyway…I-I gotta get going. Still got some unpacking to do, and…"

" **Peruvis, wait!** " I shouted as she was about to leave. Everyone turned to look at me with a confused look on their faces.

"Wh-What I mean is…I-I need to talk to you both. A-At the same time."

"Huh?" Sig looked like he didn't get it.

"W-Well…I-I really should be going now. I'm really busy right now."

"No, she isn't. She's completely free for the next 2-3 days." Phoenix said as he came out of Peruvis' back.

" **Wh-Who asked you?!** "

" **Oh, come on! Stop being a chicken and get this over with already!** "

Peruvis went silent for a bit. Was she actually scared of something? And if so, of what? Me, perhaps? I mean, I haven't really seen her or Sig since that day at the mall. The day that gave me all these doubts in the first place. Maybe…something happened when I left?

" _ ***sigh***_ For once, you're right." She finally said.

"I'm always right. You just keep failing to notice."

" _ **Don't push it…**_ "

Peruvis came over and sat in between Sig and Chu. While I decided to stand up in front of them all. I felt like I had to in order to do this. As it's a… **REALLY** big question that I'm about to ask.

And a rather hard one, too.

"W-W-Well…I-I-I…" I started talking, but couldn't get the words out.

"You okay, Ammy?" Sig asked.

"Y-Y-Yeah. I-I-I'm…p-perfectly fine."

In case you couldn't tell, I was lying my butt off. I was a nervous wreck. Sweating all over my face and feeling like I can barely stand (the barely standing part could be because of Kirby hiding in my coat, now that I think about it). I was afraid that what I'm about to ask is true, and I'll forever hate myself for not seeing it before. I scared. About to start crying at the possibility.

But then, like an instant click in my mind, I started feeling a sudden burst of bravery. All of my worries have mysteriously disappeared from inside me. Like I've been…refreshed or something.

" _Fufufufu. Don't fail now, Amitie. You're getting close…_ " I suddenly heard a voice.

 _Wait, hold on…_ _ **you're Feli's**_ _ **doppelgänger!**_

" _ ***giggle***_ _Yes, it's me._ "

 _What are you doing in my head?! A-And why are you here?! A-And was it you who made my worries go away?!_

" _ ***giggle***_ _No need for questions right now. As they are irrelevant at this point._ "

I was about to ask why, but then I realized it myself. I was basically standing here in silence in front of three other people. One of them being my ultimate crush. The more I stood there, the more time I was wasting. And it became clear to me why she was here.

 _I…I see now. Thank you, uh…other Feli._

" _Please. Just call me Eli._ " The doppelgänger said.

 _Eli?_

" _It's Feli, but without the F. Sounds way cuter, right?_ "

 _Uh…I guess._

" _ ***giggle***_ _I knew it. Meanie Feli said it wasn't. Now I have proof that it is._ "

I had no idea what she was talking about, so I didn't respond to that statement.

" _Anyway, now I take my leave. Good luck, Amitie. And have a wonderful lovey-dovey life ahead._ "

I started blushing from her saying lovey-dovey out of nowhere. But I quickly got over it as I gave my attention back to the three sitting in front of me. I was ready to do this. I was going to do this now. No regrets! Now or never!

…

Some other motivational third thing! **I'M! SO! READY!**

"Ammy…" Sig said.

"Are you feeling alright?" Peruvis asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I am. It's just…Wh-What I want to talk about is…uh…"

 _No! Don't get nervous again! Just relax!_

" _ ***sigh***_ You see, the other day…at the mall. It kinda took me by surprise that you two are childhood friends."

"Yeah. We are." Sig said.

"Is that why you've been acting so weird, Amytee?" Chu asked.

 _Aw, geez. Even Chu noticed? I really am bad at hiding my emotions._

"Well, in a way…yes. Basically, what I'm trying to ask is… ***gulp*** D-Do you two…l-like each other? A-As in… _ **that**_ way?"

" _ **That**_ way? I don't get it." Sig said.

 _ ***sigh***_ _Figured he'd say that._

"Shigu." Chu said. "I think what Amytee means is do you and Peridi love each other."

" _Oh._ No."

"H…Huh?!" I looked shocked.

"Peruvis and I are just friends."

"We may have known each other for a long time, but I've never felt that way towards Sig ever in my life. It's too weird." Peruvis added.

"R…Really?"

"Yes. Really. I mean, Sig's a nice boy and all." Then Peruvis turned to face Sig. "But in all honesty, you're a dunce."

" _Hey!_ " Sig got insulted. "At least I'm not a perv."

"H-How am I a perv?!"

"Peruvis. I've seen the stuff you like to read. It's perverted."

"Hey, it's called a hobby! Everyone has one!"

"Yeah, normal ones."

"Catching bugs and keeping them in your red arm is not a hobby."

"Neither is getting nose bleeds from reading dirty books."

"Th-That doesn't mean anything!" Peruvis started to blush.

" _Right._ "

While I stood there and watched the whole thing, I laughed a couple times seeing how these two talk with each other now that I know that they're only friends.

"Wow. You two really get along well." I said.

"It's pretty funny to watch sometimes." Chu said.

"Especially when neither of them have a good point." Phoenix added.

" _Who asked you two?_ " Sig and Peruvis got insulted.

 _Wow. This really is funny to watch._

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"I'll get it!" Chu said as she got up and headed for the front door. The rest of us peaked through the corner as she opened the door. And saw Raffina standing on the other side.

"Oh hi, uh…Wuffine."

" **It's Raffi…** n-never mind. Is Amitie here?"

"Raffina? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"There you are, Amitie. I came by to get those decorations from you. You did make them, right?"

…

…

" _Fiddlesticks._ " I said to myself.

" _ ***sigh***_ I've should've seen this coming."

"Sorry, Raffina. It's just I've been really busy lately."

"So once again, I have to bail you out of something, huh?" Raffina looked annoyed.

"Well, uh…"

"I'll help you, Ammy." Sig said.

"Really?! Thanks a lot, Sig!" I cheered.

"I would help too, but I wasn't kidding when I said that I need to go finish unpack." Peruvis said.

"Surprisingly." Phoenix added.

" **Shut up, Phoenix!** "

"Can I help too, Shigu?" Chu asked.

"Sure."

"Yay!" Chu looked excited, but honestly I couldn't tell with the emotionless look on her face.

"I better help too." Raffina said. "There's no telling what you three would come up with without some supervision."

"Alright. So it's the five of us then. We should be done in no time!" I cheered.

"Wait. Five? What do you mean five?"

" _Well…_ " I said while nudging the hood of my coat with my shoulder. Getting helper number 4 to reveal himself.

"Hiiiii!"

" **K-Kirby?! Wh-What are you doing here?!** " Raffina shouted.

"Huh? You mean you guys know him?" Peruvis asked.

"It's a long story." I said.

"Like **REALLY** long." Raffina added.

"I see. Well, he's really cute."

"Poyo." Kirby said.

"Anyway, the supplies are at my house. So we can go there." I said.

"Poyo. Poyo poyo."

"Oh, yeah. Adeleine's here too, Raffina. If that makes you feel any better."

" **Adeleine's here too?!** Alright, that's it! Let's get going!" Raffina yelled eagerly as she grabbed my hand and pulled it out the house and down the snowy cold streets.

" **Gah! R-Raffina! Sl-Slow down! My house isn't even in this direction!** " I shouted. In a panic state for my well-being.

* * *

 **Chapter 10 – Final Confession**

" _I…I'm home…_ " I said in a weak and exhausted state from Raffina pulling me the entire way here.

"Hey, Ammy. You're back." Misuki said to me. It was only her, Feli, Adeleine, and Futaba sitting on the pillows we have in the living room playing a card game together.

"I brought a few people with me. Sig, Chu, and…"

" **Hey, Adeleine!** " Raffina cut me off.

" **Raffina!** " Adeleine cheered as she jumped up from the pillow she was sitting on. The two then hugged each other with excitement. I can easily understand. It's been nearly a year since they've last seen each other and they were really great friends while we were in Dream Land. Much like me and Kirby!

"Never thought I would see you again! Let alone in our world!" Raffina continued.

"I had the same thought too. But it was Kirby's idea for us to come here. Though, we had to convince Magolor a little." Adeleine said.

"I see."

As the two continued talking to each other, I noticed that Arle and Ringo were nowhere to be found. And it gave me a bad feeling.

"Hey, Misuki. Where are Arle and Ringo?" I whispered to her.

"They went in the bathroom together. Said that they had to do something. Although now that you remind me, this was 20 minutes ago. So this "something" may be…"

"Oh, God." She didn't even have to finish that last part for me to understand.

I went down the hall to the bathroom and banged on the door as hard as I could.

"Occupied." I heard Arle's voice.

Then I banged again.

"Someone's in here." This time I heard Ringo's.

Then I banged harder than the last two times.

" **WE'RE BUSY!** " They both shouted.

" **I don't care! Get out!** " I shouted back.

" **A-Amitie?!** "

Everything went silent on the other side. Then after a short while, the door opened and both girls came out with embarrassed looks on their faces and their heads hanging in shame.

"Seriously, you two? In my bathroom?"

"Sorry, Amitie. I just hold it anymore." Arle said.

"Me neither." Ringo said. "Being around Arle for that long without cuddling and kissing her was driving me insane!"

"Why do you two insist on hiding it, anyway? Just admit the fact that you're dating."

"It's not as easy as it sounds, Amitie."

"Ringo's right. What if people stop liking us for being gay?" Arle asked.

"Pfft. You're both overreacting."

" **Look who's talking!** " They both sounded insulted. And I knew why.

"R-Right." I said while rubbing the back of my head.

"So where did you go, anyway?" Ringo asked.

I then started to blush on my own.

"I, uh…went to Sig's house."

Arle and Ringo looked at each other then looked back at me with full grins on their faces.

" _Ooo…_ " They both teased.

"I-It wasn't like that! I mean that I haven't confessed yet."

"The party's tomorrow, right?" Arle asked.

"Yeah. And I'm still going along with my plan. In the meantime, we've got to finish the decorations."

"Th-The decorations?!"

"Dang! We completely forgot!" Ringo shouted with her girlfriend.

"Well, I did bring help. Raffina, Chu, and…Sig."

The two looked at each other again then turned to face me with the same looks as before.

" _Ooo…_ " They teased again.

" **Kn-Knock it off!** " I shouted.

"Alright, fine." Ringo said.

"Let's go make the decorations." Arle added.

As we were about to head back, something came to mind. And I wanted to say it before it was too late.

" _Try to keep your dirty urges under control, you two._ _ ***giggle***_ " I teased.

" **H-Hey!** " Both girls were bright red from embarrassment. Which was exactly the reaction I was looking for.

" _Sorry._ " Was all I teasingly said.

* * *

We somehow managed to make all the decorations before midnight came around. And everyone went home afterward. With Futaba going with Feli, Adeleine going with Raffina, and Kirby staying with me. I deserved the rest, too. So it bugged me that I couldn't sleep right away.

Well…okay, there could be one reason. During the time we spent working on the decorations, I kept sneaking glances at Sig. And my heart would beat like crazy every time I did it. I wasn't even sure if he noticed. Because whenever he looked over to me, whether it's to ask a question about the decorations, or just getting the feeling to do so, I would turn away quickly. Trying to hide my bright-red face from him. It was nerve-racking, and I felt like I was going to pass out from the excitement built up inside me. And I guess it still hasn't receded yet.

" _ ***sigh***_ _I can't sleep._ " I whispered to myself, not wanting to wake Kirby up. " _Maybe some warm milk will do the trick._ "

I carefully got out the bed, still trying not to wake Kirby, and left my room into the hallway. There, I heard noises coming from the living room. And only one thought came to mind.

 _Wait a second. It's the middle of the night, it's Christmas…_ _ ***gasp***_ _ **Oh my God, it's him! It's Santa!**_

I quietly rushed to the end of the hallway and saw a figure moving around between the kitchen and the living room. I grew so excited that I couldn't hold it in anymore. And I lunged in on the figure.

" **Santa! I can't believe I actually get to meet you! It's so cool that…** " I suddenly stopped talking once I felt not a big round belly, but a slenderly-fit woman's body. I knew who this was, and was highly disappointed.

" **Mom?!** "

"Huh. So you weren't sleepwalking were you, Ammy?"

I whined greatly as I let go of Mom and got a good look of her. She had her normal clothes on (being a pink t-shirt and a pair of black sweatpants) and not a big red suit.

I've never felt so cheated in my life.

" _ ***whine***_ _You're not Santa!_ " I complained.

"Well, I'm so sorry that I'm not an old fat guy." Mom sounded insulted.

"What are you even doing up this late? It's 3:00 in the morning."

"I'm watching these comedy skits that are based on the Holidays. It's on commercial, so I decided to grab a few snacks in the meantime. But that's when you blindsided me thinking that I was a guy that sneaks into people's houses and leaves gifts."

In case you couldn't tell, Mom doesn't believe in Santa. Never has either, not even as a kid. So it kinda gets me angry whenever she calls him by these ridiculous names.

"You're lucky that I'm not in the mood this year to argue with you about my belief in Santa." I said as I went into the kitchen, with Mom following me inside.

"Not in the mood? Why? What's wrong?"

"I'm just feeling a bit worked up."

"Worked up?" Mom asked. Then she took out her phone and started scrolling through it "Not to worry, sweetie. I'm sure there's a Taylor Swift song for that."

" **Will you be serious for once?!** " I shouted.

"I am being serious. That girl has emotional problems every week. She pretty much has a song for every emotion at this point."

" **I mean with MY problem!** "

"Oh, that."

" _ ***sigh***_ Seriously, how did Ms. Accord put up with you?"

"She still puts up with me, Ammy." Mom said with a smile.

 _Geez. Poor Ms. Accord…_

"Okay, okay. What's wrong, Ammy? And I mean it this time."

I wasn't really sure if I could her. But at 3:00 in the morning, I don't have other options to go with. So I'll have to take her word for it.

"Well…you see…"

So then I told Mom everything that happened since I came home from school that day. And it was a long explanation, too. As apparently Mom was asleep for the entire time. I honestly don't know how she can sleep for that long and not eat in between. It's beyond crazy.

"Woah. So you have huge feelings for Sig?" Mom asked.

"Y-Yeah. I do."

"Wow. That's pretty shocking."

"Don't you dare say it."

"Say what?"

"I know what you're about to say. And I've heard it too many times. He's not a dunce."

"Okay, fine. He's not a dunce."

"Thank you."

"But still, what made you fall in love with him?"

"Well…it's because he's a really nice boy. He and I do a lot of things together and we're really good friends. I guess I soon gained feelings for him and I want him to know about it."

"I see. Well, I can't really help you with that, sweetie. I don't really have much experience with love. At least, not since your father died."

I noticed Mom feeling a bit sad from bringing Dad up out of nowhere. So I grabbed and held her for a good while until she felt a little better.

" _Th-Thanks, Ammy._ " She weakly said.

"No problem, Mom." I said. I then let go of her and headed for the fridge. "Aw, man."

"What?"

"We're out of milk. I was going to drink some to help me sleep."

"Pretty sure the corner store's still open. Wanna go get some?"

" _ ***sigh***_ Why not? The walk will probably make me tired too."

I went back to my room to grab my coat (still not trying to wake Kirby) and headed to the front door about to leave.

"Oh, Ammy. While you're there, can you get a bunch of chocolate bars and chips too? I feel like a Hungry Hungry Hippo over here."

Normally I would be upset about this. As Mom's snack cravings are too much for me to afford. Not tonight, though. I came prepared.

"Sure, Mom. After all, it's coming out of your credit card."

"W-Wait, what?"

"I took your credit card while we were hugging because I knew you would ask me to buy ridiculous amounts of snacks at some point. That way, I can save my money for something I want for once."

" _Ammy…_ " Mom got mad obviously.

"Well, be back in a bit." I said with a sneaky grin as I walked out the door into the night.

* * *

As I was walking down the block, I noticed how quiet it was outside. I knew it was now 4:00 in the morning and everyone was asleep, but seeing the night sky filled with stars as the snow continued to fall endlessly on this small town of ours is a relaxing sight. I could just stay here for the rest of the night.

Well…if I wasn't in my jammies and a coat, that is.

I kept staring at the sky, admiring how pretty it was. And since all my attention was on there, I wasn't looking on where I was going.

 ***POW***

…And I ended up bumping into someone.

"Ouchie…Ah! I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention!" I said.

"Ammy?" I recognized the voice.

"Sig? What are you doing out this early?"

"Chu can't sleep. So I came out here to get some milk."

"Oh. I see that she's too excited to sleep?"

"Pretty much."

" ***giggle*** I get it. I'm actually out here doing the same thing."

"Can't sleep either?"

"Nope. I'm too excited too sleep."

"Heh. I guess I'm the same way, too." Sig said while gaining a small smile. It gave me a sudden burst of excitement in my heart. But I managed to calm down from it.

"Hey, Ammy."

"Huh? Yeah, Sig?"

"Wanna go together?"

The same sudden burst of excitement came back to me once he asked that. And it took a bit longer for me to calm down from that.

"S-Sure. L-Let's go together." I stuttered a little. Sig didn't ask why, though I'm glad he didn't. I wouldn't be able to think of a good excuse for it.

* * *

We both got to the corner store and got what we needed (being the bottles of milk and Mom's giant pile of snacks) and were walking home when I once again got distracted by the starry-night snowy sky above us. Sig noticed, and we both looked at the sky together. To the point where we decided to the area that separates the park from the beach and stood over the railing that divides them. Continuing to look at the peaceful sky.

"Wow. You were right, Ammy. It really is relaxing out here." Sig said.

"See? I told you. It may not look like it, but being out here can really relax you. Might even help you fall asleep."

"Yeah, true."

We continued to look at the sky. And as we were doing so, I once again kept sneaking glances at Sig. And like last time, my heart would beat like crazy every time I did it. I was trying to be sneaky with this. But unlike last time…

"Hey, Ammy. Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

…He noticed.

"H-Huh? O-Oh nothing. Probably getting tired."

"Already?" I couldn't really tell at first, but Sig sounded sad at that response.

"Why? What's wrong?" I asked.

"Well…I kinda like being out here with you."

 _H-He…_ _ **He likes being with me?!**_

"W-Well…I-I like being out here with you too, Sig." I said with a smile. Sig smiled with me and I started to blush a little.

 _Well…now that I think about it, it_ _ **IS**_ _Christmas right now. Alright! I'm going to tell him! I'm going to tell Sig how I feel! I can do this!_

"H-Hey, Sig…"

"Yeah, Ammy?" He looked at me. I started thinking on how to start off with this confession. And thought of a good starting point.

"Y-You know how I asked if you and Peruvis…liked each other _**that**_ way?"

"Ammy. I told you. We aren't like that." He said.

"I know. It's just…"

"In fact, it really hurt me that you asked that."

"W-Wait, what? I-It hurt?" I was confused.

"Well, I mean Peruvis and I were apart from each other for a couple of years. When Chu and I moved here, and I joined the class, you were the first friend that I made. And it made it special to me. More than knowing Peruvis during my younger years."

"Sp-Special?!"

"Yep."

"W…Wow."

Things went silent for a minute or two. Then, Sig said this…

"Well…that, and you are pretty cute, Ammy."

" **C-Cute?!** " I shouted.

"Yeah."

My face was nearly completely red at this point. I felt like I was going to pass out from it all. But I knew that I couldn't. Not yet. I made a promise to myself that I would confess my love on Christmas. And I wasn't going to break it. So I turned to face Sig with all my confidence being used at once.

"Sig. I really need to tell me something. Something important."

"Really? What is it, Ammy?" He asked.

 _Okay. Here I go._

"I…I've always felt the same way about our friendship. That it's really special to me and I'm happy to be your first friend. But…recently…I-I started feeling different. Like _**really**_ different."

I looked at Sig and saw that he was a little confused.

"Wh-What I mean is…I-I started gaining feelings for you. I've been holding them in for months. And now, now I want you to know…that I love you, Sig. I really really love you."

Sig didn't say anything and looked away from me for a while. I didn't know what he was thinking. Could he not feel the same way? If he didn't, then why did he call me cute? Was it just a pity compliment? Does Sig even know pity? Was all of this just a waste of time?! Oh, come on, Sig! Just answer me already!

"A-Ammy." Sig finally turned back to me.

"Y-Yeah?"

"Me too."

…

"Huh?" I didn't get what he meant by that.

"Me too."

"Sig. You gotta be clearer than that." I said.

"I mean, I love you too."

…

" _R…R-Really?_ " I said in a weak state after replaying that last sentence in my tired mind.

"Yeah. I do. In fact, I've felt this way since a few days after we first met. Didn't know how to tell you, though. So I kept it to myself."

I started feeling tears run down my eyes as I stood there realizing that I wasn't alone when having these feelings. Sig has felt this way, way longer than me, and has kept it in way longer than I have. I felt so bad, but at the same time…I felt so happy.

I wrapped my arms around Sig and held him tight in a deep, long, and peaceful hug. Not long after doing so, Sig did the exact same thing. We soon then looked at each other's eyes and brought our heads close to each other in a slow pace of speed. It felt like we were about to kiss, but both of us backed out at the last second.

"S-Sig. I-I'm not ready for my first kiss." I said.

"Y-Yeah. M-Me neither. Wanna wait a bit?" He asked.

"Yeah. Let's wait." I said with a smile.

We then went back to hugging and cuddling each other. Soon, we felt a bright light hitting us in our faces. And looked to where it was coming from.

"Wow. Sun's coming up." Sig said.

"Yeah, it is. We must've been out here all night." I said.

"So…it's Christmas now?"

"Yeah. Pretty much."

I felt myself being held tighter than I was before. And I decided to return the feeling and refused to let go. We ended up looking at each other again and brought our heads close together for a second time.

"Merry Christmas, Ammy."

"Merry Christmas, Sig."

These were the last words we said to each other. As we both continued to watch the sunset together. Now happily labeled as…boyfriend and girlfriend.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ **And it is done. My Puyo Puyo Christmas Story. This idea just came up out of nowhere at first. But as I started writing it, I really liked the idea. And placed all my focus on it. It's also the first time I wrote more than one chapter and called it a "part". Wasn't going to be that, but then Smash Ultimate became a thing and I figured something was better than nothing.**

 **This one's really special, as I decided to reference the other stories I wrote and even placed some characters in the story.**

 **Melody, Chu, and Peruvis being from the Love of Puyo Puyo series.**

 **Amitie calling Witch "Misuki" is a reference to Magical Alteration.**

 **Kirby and Adeleine being from Dream Land Invasion. (Yes, this story takes place a year after that one. Tried not to spoil too much.)**

 **Futaba Okazaki (her full name) is from Feli's Existence. (This story takes place a year after that one, as well. Again, tried not to spoil too much.)**

 **Fun fact: Nasu Grave,** **Suketoudara, and Ocean Prince are scrapped characters that were going to appear in Love of Puyo Puyo Fever. Figured I use them in some way.**

 **Also, Feli's** **doppelgänger is just White Feli but with a different personality. In case you couldn't tell.**

 **That's all from me. Feel free to review, favorite, and/or follow the story. This was my form of a Christmas present for you all, and I hoped you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading, and have a Happy Holidays.**


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